Broken Boundaries: Old Version
by Anasazi Darkmoon
Summary: Ria was just an ordinary woman until the night the monsters showed up. Now she's on a quest to save two worlds from total chaos. The trouble is, her only aid comes from a Tonberry, her own screwy magic, and a man who isn't sure whether he's dead or not!
1. Ch 1 The Mysterious Stranger

First off, I don't own Squaresoft (or whatever it's called now), but if I did, then I would probably kidnap Auron and Vincent (hugs them both). Secondly, I haven't played all of FFX-2, so I'm working from the end of FFX, and I'm also throwing in a little FFVII and VIII for flavor. All right, enough idle chitchat for now, so please sit back and enjoy.

Chapter One: The Mysterious Stranger

Ria Summers stepped into the darkness beyond the fluorescent lights surrounding the Gas-N-Go where she worked. It was closing time, and the only thing the young woman had left to do was take out the trash. This was no mean feat, because the enormous metal dumpster lay hidden in the dank recesses behind the store, and one never knew what might be lurking behind it. Ria dragged the black plastic bag to the dumpster and tossed it in, but paused as she noticed an odd not-garbage smell emanating from the general area. It reminded her of cinnamon, but mingled with the musky smell of patchouli.

She had shrugged it off and started back to her car, when a low hiss sent chills down her spine. The young woman turned around, certain that is was a cat or a 'possum that had met up with some competition for territory, but she when she turned to look, the chills instantly transformed to a cold bar of terror.

What it was, exactly, Ria couldn't say. It was human-sized and insect-like, with a large barb sprouting out of its back. The thing moved on four legs like a crab or a spider, sword blade claws folded back along its forelegs. As it inched closer, Ria got a good look at the monster's face, and tried not to faint or throw up. The beast had a face like one of the hunters she had seen in the "Predator" movies, all mandibles and glowing eyes filled with hatred.

Ria turned and ran, hoping that she could reach her car, which she had left parked a hundred feet away. It might as well have been a hundred miles, because the terrified woman found herself shoved to the ground, where she inadvertently flung her keys across the parking lot. Ria shut her eyes, waiting to die, when she heard a loud chopping sound and a shriek of agony. Surprised, she rolled over on her back and saw that her attacker had lost one of its legs, and a dark, greenish fluid was pouring out of the wound.

As the monster bellowed in rage, all Ria could do was stare at her savior, who placed himself between it and its prey. He looked like he was Ria's height and broad-shouldered, with a massive katana in his gloved right hand. The stranger spoke not to her, but the creature, in an impassive voice. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that this hunt is over."

It screamed once again, and then flung itself at the interloper, remaining claws extended. Without turning a hair, Ria's rescuer swung his sword around with all of his strength, ripping through the monster's torso like paper. The beast fell short of its goal, thrashed once, and died with a sigh. Ria and the stranger both stared as the now-dead creature disintegrated into a group of opalescent lights that swirled and pulsed like a living rainbow. Suddenly, the lights stopped, and for the space of three heartbeats changed from their prismatic hue to an evil black surrounded by a poisonous red aura. They oozed boundless hatred for that brief moment, and changed back to their original appearance before they vanished, leaving only a faint remnant of the odd smell and the bloodstains behind.

The stranger put away his sword, and turned to Ria. "Are you okay?" he asked, offering her his hand.

"Yes," she got up and dusted herself off. "What was that thing?"

"That was a fiend," he said, as if that should explain everything.

Ria knew that she should thank him for saving her, but the young woman found herself speechless as she stared at him. Her mysterious savior had dark hair with silver streaks, a swarthy complexion, and behind the odd-looking sunglasses, one deep brown eye that seemed to see into her soul. She finally opened her mouth to thank him, but instead, blurted out, "Who are you?"

Ria winced, knowing that she probably sounded ungrateful, but he just gave her a slight smile and replied, "My name is Auron."

Well, there goes the first chapter to my maiden voyage into fan fiction. I hope it's not too boring for you because it will get better, I promise. I'll greatly appreciate any reviews you send me. (Just try not to be too mean) Thank you for your time and patience.


	2. Ch 2 Surprising Events

As I said before I don't own Squaresoft (boo-hoo). As you may have already guessed, this is mainly an Auron story, but there will be a few other characters later. If it seems kind of slow, it's because I'm writing this straight out of my head. Warning: If you're under 13, then go ask your folks if you can read this, since its PG-13. All right, enjoy.

Chapter 2: Surprising Events

Auron stared bemusedly at the girl whose life he'd just saved. She was about the same height as himself, and a little on the heavy side. Her skin was moon-pale and her hair was dark red, short, and wavy. She had to be around 19 or 20 years old, if he was any judge. Suddenly, her voice snapped him out of his reverie. "Excuse me, sir…Auron, but you're hurt."

"What?" Auron looked at his left arm and noticed that there was deep gash on his forearm, just above the silver bracer he wore. "It must've nicked me during that first attack," he muttered to himself.

The girl took him by the wrist and started leading him toward her car, but he pulled away from her. "Keep your hands to yourself, girl!" Auron snarled at her.

She recoiled from him, just slightly, but her temper got the better of her. "Girl?" she flared. "My name is Ria, sir, and I'm trying to take you to the hospital to get that cut looked at! Look, it's already turning green!"

Ria pointed at the wound, and it had become a sickly yellow-green around the edges. "Poison," he said through gritted teeth as the first wave of fire lanced up his arm.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

When the pain subsided, Auron gave her a surprised stare. "Do you really want to help me?'

When she nodded, he continued, "Then go look over where the fiend was and see if you can find a small bottle lying around."

Ria began her search, and Auron flinched as he felt the poison leach some of his strength. "Is this it?" she asked him, holding up a bottle filled with a neon green liquid.

When he nodded, she handed it to him. The swordsman flipped off the top of the tiny vial and drank the contents as fast as he could. Almost immediately, the disgusting color surrounding the wound faded, and then vanished. "That's all well and good," Ria commented, "But you're still bleeding."

Auron didn't say anything, but reached inside his coat and pulled out another bottle filled with a faintly glowing sky-blue substance. Ria watched him drink it, and gasped as she watched the gash on his arm begin to close up. When the miraculous healing stopped, the bloody injury became an angry pink weal. "It will take a couple of days, but it will be completely healed," Auron told her.

"How can it be possible?" Ria said her voice an awestricken whisper.

"What? You've never seen a Potion work before?"

When she shook her head, he sighed, turned and began to walk away. The young woman gaped at him for a moment, and shouted, "Wait!"

The swordsman turned around, and Ria blurted, "You don't have anywhere to go, do you?"

He stared at her, his expression unreadable, but said nothing, so she continued to speak. "If you don't, then I suppose you can stay with me."

"Why?"

"What do you mean, 'why'?"

"Why do you want me to stay with you?" His voice had a peculiar note to it.

Ria fidgeted, trying to put her thoughts into words. "Well, why not?" she finally said, "You obviously don't have any other place to go, and you're still hurt, and…"

He snorted, not with contempt, but amusement. "And you want me to stay and protect you?"

"Well, that IS part of it," she agreed, "But mostly it's because you saved me and have nowhere else to go."

"All right," he finally conceded. "I'll stay with you for a couple of days, and play 'bodyguard' for you in exchange. Do we have a deal?"

Ria grinned. "Deal."

A little while later, the pair arrived at Ria's house, where the young woman tossed her keys on the kitchen table and she sighed. "We're going to be the only ones here for about three more days."

"Oh? Does someone else live here, then?" Auron was mildly curious.

"Yeah, my mother, stepfather, brother, and sister."

"Where are they, now?"

"They're on vacation with my grandmother in Panama City. (Florida, not S. America) Hey, do you want something to eat?" Ria asked, changing the subject.

Auron shrugged and sat down at the table while she made a couple of sandwiches. The two of them ate in silence, and when they finished, went to the living room, where Ria turned on the television just in time to catch the evening news. The story of the night was of mysterious monster appearances all over the world.

"Thanks, Peter," the female helicopter reporter began, "I'm flying over Times Square in New York City, which is just one of the many places where a monster has appeared in the past few hours. I don't know if you can see it from the video feed, but something that looks like a large, purple Sasquatch has been assaulting police and civilians alike, and causing a general panic…"

Ria changed the channel, only to find another broadcast. "…a swarm of flying eyeballs has attacked a local high school football game and…"

She flipped through several more channels before giving it up as a lost cause and turned off the television. "I see that none of this is disturbing you," the girl said, shooting Auron a sidelong glance.

"We have a similar device where I'm from," he replied.

"That wasn't what I meant," she muttered under her breath. "Well, why don't you tell me where you're from, and about these 'fiends' you know so much about."

The swordsman gazed at her with utmost solemnity, and replied, "All right. I was born in a place called Spira, a place ravaged by a plague called Sin…"

Ria knew that staring at someone with your mouth hanging open made you look like an idiot, but she couldn't help it. His story was so wild, so insane, that it had to be true! She found herself shivering at the thought of battling such a terrible monster like that. The young woman shook her head once, twice, and finally spoke for the first time in the past couple of hours. "So all of these monsters are actually born of the spirits of the angry dead?"

"Not all of them are Unsent. A lot of them were actually born in the wild and cannot be Sent by a summoner."

"What about you, Auron? You said that you were an Unsent, but you didn't become a fiend."

"I remained myself because I knew the truth behind the Final Aeon, and I had to stop it, even after my own death."

"But you were Sent in the end, weren't you? Everyone here is alive, so are you still dead, or what?"

"I don't know."

There was more silence as her green eyes bored into his brown one. Finally, Ria got up and left the room. She returned a minute later, carrying a pillow and a quilted blanket. "Here," she said, holding the bedding out to him. "I'm afraid that we don't have a guest room, so you'll have to sleep on the couch."

"What? Are you going to bed?"

"Yeah, but first, I need a shower. Did you want to come?" Ria asked with one eyebrow cocked in a suggestive manner.

When he didn't answer, she said, "You know I was just kidding, right?"

"Yes." Auron wrapped himself in his blanket.

"Good. Oh, and Auron?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for saving my life tonight."

She didn't wait for a response, so the swordsman simply shrugged, closed his eye, and went to sleep. After a shower during which Ria had silently cried her out, she put on her pajamas, crawled into the bed, and pulled the blanket over her shoulders. Her last thought before she nodded off was, _"It's strange, but he has the same smell as the monster, only…fainter…"_

Wow! Chapter 2 has been finished, and I didn't lose my marbles! (Much applause) I know there wasn't much in the way of action in this one, but there will be in Chapter 3. As usual, I would appreciate some reviews (not too vulgar, please) and I thank you in advance. Ta Ta for now!


	3. Ch 3 Magical Ria

First, I have to give props to kiki-sama for being my first reviewer (Wild Cheering). Secondly, I only own Ria, and any other OC's that may appear. Finally, this story is PG-13, but it might receive a higher rating for language. All right, time for chapter 3.

Chapter 3: Magical Ria

…_Flash…_

Ria was cleaning up the Gas-N-Go, getting ready to close for the night, when a man in a ski mask walked in, 9-mm trained on her heart. She opened the cash register, and quickly handed all of the money to her assailant, but he did not leave. The young woman stared at him, trying her level best to keep from screaming, and as she watched, he slowly pulled off his mask. The thug's face suddenly changed from a human one to the same creepy visage that the monster had, and he reached across the counter and grabbed Ria around her throat…

_…Flash…_

Auron was standing in Yunalesca's chamber, rage and grief running through his veins like raw lightning. The swordsman felt a scream tear its way out of his throat as he charged the ghostly summoner, who had killed his two best friends. He felt indescribable pain as Lady Yunalesca struck him down for his defiance…

_…Flash…_

Auron awoke to a strange beeping sound emanating from something near his head. He sat up and looked around, confused at his surroundings until he remembered the previous night's events. The beeping started up again, and the ex-guardian picked up the cordless telephone and gave it a suspicious look. Finally, Auron pushed the Talk button, and put the receiver to his ear, not knowing what to expect.

"Hello?" a strange female voice called from the other end of the line.

"Yes?" Auron replied with a note of uncertainty.

"Who is this?" asked the stranger.

"You called me, so you tell me who I'm speaking to," answered Auron.

"Is Ria there?" the voice asked, ignoring his command.

"She's here, but you can't talk to her until you tell me who you are," he told her.

"Okay, okay!" the voice relented. "I'm Ria's boss, Marion, and I really need to speak with her."

Auron went to Ria's room, and walked in without knocking on the door beforehand. "Ria, someone wants to talk to you," he announced, holding out the receiver.

When she didn't answer, he walked over to the bed and took a closer look at her. The young woman was tossing and turning in a nightmare, and seemed to be struggling against something. Full of concern, the swordsman laid one hand on her shoulder and gently shook her. "Ria, wake up. Someone wants to talk to you and they said it was important."

Ria woke up in a panic, and with arms and legs flailing wildly about. She let out a muffled shriek, and smacked Auron in the face, but she didn't have any leverage, so it wasn't a knockout blow. Ria screamed again, but this time all the furniture in the room shuddered violently. Auron finally dropped the phone and grabbed her around the shoulders. "Ria, calm down," he ordered, his voice brooking no argument.

Finally, the girl realized where she was and looked up at her bodyguard. "Jesus Christ!" she swore. "Auron, I'm so sorry I hit you."

He didn't answer her. Instead, he picked up the phone and handed it to her. "Here, someone named Marion wants to talk to you."

Ria took the receiver and put it to her ear. "Marion? Are you still there?"

"Ria? Girl, what's happening over there? I thought I was about listen in on a murder!" her manager shouted.

"No, I was just having a nightmare, and Auron snapped me out of it."

"Who? Oh, you mean that weirdo who answered the phone."

"Yeah, that's him," Ria chuckled, and then sighed. "Anyway, what did you want to talk about that was so important?"

"Ria, do you think that you could come back up to the store for a little while?" Marion asked.

"Why? It's my day off."

"There's an officer up here who wants to speak to you about last night."

"What? All right, tell them that I'll be there in a few minutes."

When Ria got off the phone, Auron asked her, "Are we going back?"

She nodded, "Yes, because a police officer has some questions he wants to ask me about what happened last night."

"And he couldn't come out here?" he replied in a doubtful tone.

"No, he can't because this house is outside the Manson police department's jurisdiction. Now, are you going to leave, or do you want to stay and watch me change clothes?"

Finally, Auron gave up and left the room so Ria could put on some blue jeans and a t-shirt. When she finished, they locked up the house and headed back to town. They had been riding for about five minutes, when Ria realized that her car radio was off and flipped the switch. Suddenly, the smooth sounds of System of a Down blared out of the speakers, and startled Auron.

__

I don't think you trust in my/Self-righteous suicide/I cry/When angels deserve to die…

She sang along for a moment, and turned the radio off again with an apologetic glance in her passenger's direction. "I'm sorry, I keep forgetting that you're not used to this kind of thing."

When he didn't reply, the young woman shrugged and started humming to herself. The song she sang had a haunting, soulful melody, and Auron stared at her in complete surprise. "Where did you learn that song?" he asked her, keeping his voice level.

"I don't know, I guess I've always known it, because I remember hearing it when I was really small. Why, is there a problem with it?"

"No, it was just…surprising…that's all."

The two of them finished the ride in silence, and arrived at the store a few minutes later, only to find that a large, black Escalade was blocking the pumps. Ria put her little car in park, turned it off, and got out to confront the Escalade's owner. "Excuse me, sir," she said, "But you're blocking the gas pumps, and if you're not going to put any gas in your car, then you need to leave."

The offending person was a tall, heavy-set, black man who seemed to think that he was "The Man", and he gave Ria a baleful stare. "I'll stand here all day long, if I feel like it, and just what is a fat, white, cracker bitch like you gonna do about it?" the man demanded, his voice full of belligerence.

Suddenly, Auron walked up and put himself chest-to-chest with the stranger. "She's not going to do anything, but if you don't get in your machina and leave, then I'll make you regret it for the rest of your life." His tone was the same one that he had used on the monster from the night before.

The two men continued their staring match for a long moment, when a police officer stepped out of the store, and said to the black man, "Joe, you've already got a rap sheet as long as my arm and you know I'll have to take you in if you hit that guy."

Joe considered that, and finally backed down. "You'd better watch yourself, 'cause I'll get you one day," he muttered at Auron.

"I'm looking forward to it," the swordsman smiled coldly.

At that, Joe let out a stream of blistering curses, got into his Escalade, and left. "Auron, I'm glad you enjoyed that little testosterone festival, but I think we need to work on your communication skills," Ria commented. "All right, let's get this over with."

They followed the officer into the store and he introduced himself. "Ria Summers? I'm Sergeant Graham with the Manson Police Department, and I need to ask you a few questions."

She looked at Marion, who just nodded, and said, "All right, what did you want to talk about?"

Sgt. Graham flipped open his little notebook and cleared his throat. "Last night, we received a call from the house down the street from here, saying that there were screams heard. Would you happen to know anything about that?"

"Yeah, considering that I was the one who was screaming." Ria replied, her voice taking on an edge.

"Well, could you tell me what happened?"

"I closed the store, took out the garbage, and was attacked by one of the monsters that they've been showing on the TV."

"How did you get away?" Graham was now oozing curiosity.

"Auron saved me."

"Auron?" the officer looked over at him. "Does he have a last name?"

Ria wracked her brain, and quickly came up with one. "Bevelle, his name is Auron Bevelle."

Graham wrote that down, and then asked, "Why didn't you call the police after the attack, Ria?"

"Yeah, right!" she snorted contemptuously. "Help me! Help me! I've just been attacked by a fearsome monster! You'd have had me committed to the nuthouse if I made a phone call like that!"

Suddenly, Marion let out a scream and Auron tackled Ria to the floor, just as a shockwave shattered all of the windows to the store. There was a loud screech from outside, and a thud as something large landed. Everyone got to their feet, and what they saw was astounding. Their assailant was the size of a small house, and had dark brown feathers that deepened to black along the spinal ridge and wings. Its green eyes glared balefully at them, and its toothy beak gaped open as it screeched again. "It's a Zu: strong, but not very bright," Auron said as he pulled out his katana and stepped outside to face it.

"Where the hell does he keep that sword?" Graham incredulously asked Ria.

"I have absolutely no idea," she replied.

The giant bird launched itself back into the air and fired another shockwave with a flap of its massive wings, knocking Auron to the ground, and tearing the pumps off their foundations. Marion quickly punched the button that shut off the gas valves, and the fuel that had begun to fountain up stopped flowing. "We need to get out of here, now," the manager cried, and Ria and Graham followed her lead.

Auron whipped his sword around in a vertical slash, but he only scored a minor hit on the Zu. It, in turn, fired off yet another blast, this time causing the overhead canopy to collapse, crushing the front half of Ria's car! Graham tried to call for backup, but discovered that his walkie-talkie was destroyed when he fell on it, so he pulled out his gun and helped Auron instead. A moment later, the now-ruined car exploded, knocking everyone to the ground again, leaving them open to the fiend's attack.

Sadly, Sgt. Graham was the one who suffered, because the monstrous bird caught him while he struggled to his feet, and quickly ate the police officer. The Zu then turned to Auron and attempted to devour him, but was thwarted when Ria stabbed it in the leg with a piece of broken glass. The fiend, now angry, turned around and lunged at the girl, but something amazing happened. Ria threw arms over her head, fully expecting to die, when a pale blue-gray light suddenly obscured her vision. Suddenly, a surge ran through her body, and the surrounding temperature dropped dramatically as a cloud of ice exploded around the Zu's head. The bird stepped back, let out a decidedly unmusical squawk, lumbered back into the air, and flapped off.

Auron stared at Ria with open disbelief on his face. "I didn't know you were a mage."

"Me…neither…" she gasped, and then fainted.

She awoke a few minutes later, and the swordsman handed her a bottle of purple liquid. "Here, drink this," he ordered.

Ria eyed the bottle dubiously. "What is it?"

"It's called Ether, and it will help restore your magical energies."

The young woman drank the stuff, shuddered, and said, "I don't know how you can stand that nasty junk."

She got to her feet, dusted herself off, and looked around. More police had arrived, along with the fire department, and an ambulance. "Where'd the big chicken go?"

Just then, Marion walked up and replied, "It flew off after that cloud hit it, and I think the rest of the police are chasing it down."

"Well, it looks like the Gas-N-Go is now officially out of business, so what are we going to do, now?" Ria wondered.

"I don't know about you, but I'm packing up and moving back up north," Marion turned to leave, but stopped and said, "Why don't you and that good-looking friend of yours become monster hunters?"

"What?"

"Yeah, you two seem like you'd be good at it. Well, good luck, my friend." That being said, the former manager of the Gas-N-Go left Manson forever.

Ria turned back to Auron, who had been silent during the exchange, and he said, "It's not a bad idea, you know. Of course, you'll need some training in your powers, first."

"Obviously. But before that, we have to do something else."

"Oh, and what would that be?"

"We have to get home, and since my car has been destroyed, we've got a long walk ahead of us!"

Well, there you have it! A fresh chapter hot off the Anasazi Express, and on your screen. You all know the drill: review and tune in on the next chapter.


	4. Ch 4 Journey

I don't own Squaresoft, I do own the OC's, and I appreciate the reviews! That being said, this may be the last chapter I write for a while, because Hurricane Ivan is heading my way. If my house isn't blown away, then I'll get back to you with more "Broken Boundaries", I promise. Thank you for reading and enjoy this new chapter.

Chapter 4: Journey

Ria stared out the living room window at the sweeping expanse of her front lawn, and sighed. "It's been three days, and they should have come back by now, but there's no sign of them."

"Are you talking about your family?" Auron asked her.

"Yeah, I'm really worried about them," she agreed. "I've tried calling them several times, but nobody's answered their cell phone or the one at the hotel they were staying in."

She paced back and forth, stopped, and sat down on the couch, her face buried in her hands and unease like a leaden weight in her stomach. Auron watched Ria carefully, gauged what her possible reaction might be, and finally told her the idea that had been forming in the back of his mind. "We could go look for them, you know?"

"What?" she looked up at him, nonplussed.

"We should go search for your family. It shouldn't be that difficult to find them."

Ria gave him a jaundiced glare. "Auron, are you out of your damn mind? Do you have any idea how far away Panama City is?"

When he shrugged, she continued to rant, "Not only that, but we'd have to walk the whole way, because my car was completely wrecked!"

Auron let her finished ranting, and told her, "I've walked further, and it's not like you have anything better to do, since your store was destroyed."

"That's true," she conceded, and got up. "You're right; I don't have anything holding me here, so we can go find my family."

They locked the house up and left the next day. Before the journey, Ria changed from her usual blue jeans and t-shirt to a pair of baggy black Capris, a forest-green tank top, and a pair of black steel-toed boots. Deciding that she needed a weapon, she also went into her brother's room and took his baseball bat. Auron watched Ria's preparations with an expression of faint amusement on his face, but only said, "Not bad."

The two of them traveled for a couple of days, reaching Mobile, Alabama, where they made an unfortunate discovery. The bridge spanning the bay was ruined during a previous fiend incursion, leaving them with no way to cross. Ria groaned and looked up at the sky. "Now what?" she asked herself.

"If we can't go across, then we will go around," Auron told her.

"That was a rhetorical question," she muttered.

That night, they camped out in a forest north of the city, and the swordsman decided to address an important issue. "Ria, we need to talk."

"About what?" she asked while poking at their small campfire with a twig.

"You said that the Zu encounter was the first experience you've had with the use of magic, am I right?"

"Yes."

"Then you need to get some kind of training in your powers, otherwise they'll become a danger to everyone."

"And just who, exactly, is supposed to give me the training I need?" she eyed him warily.

"Well, since we don't have a mage around, I guess that I'll do it." he stood up and offered her his hand. "Shall we get started?"

A few hours later, Ria was drenched in sweat, and had made very little progress. "Auron, this isn't working," she complained.

The swordsman shot her a grim stare and said, "Try it again."

"I've tried it a billion times already! Look, unless you've got some more of those nasty Ethers floating around in that weird bottomless space you keep everything in, then we have to stop, because I'm about to drop!"

Suddenly, a high-pitched warble rang out through the night air, startling them into silence. "What was that?" Ria whispered.

Auron didn't reply, but put out the fire, and motioned for her to follow him. They crept through the underbrush, until they came across a clearing that was full of birds. "Oh, wow, they're beautiful!" Ria breathed her eyes full of wonder.

There were ten of them milling around in the moonlight. They were massive birds, twice the size of an ostrich, and all but three of them had sunny yellow feathers. The other three were turquoise blue, silvery white and shadowy black. "Those are chocobos," Auron explained. "On Spira, people ride them to get around quickly."

Then a bellowing roar shattered the peaceful moment, as a giant fiend came tearing out of the other side of the clearing. It was short, with long arms, and a huge mouth filled with razor sharp teeth. The fiend roared again, and flung itself at the chocobo flock, sending them fleeing in terror, and pinning down the black one. "And that," Auron yelled while charging at the attacker, "That is a Chocobo Eater."

The swordsman whirled his katana around, in a counterclockwise horizontal strike. As Ria watched, red flame suddenly enveloped the blade as it struck the Eater repeatedly. The fiend let out an angry bellow, and it swung its long arm around and smashed Auron with a fearsome right hook. The warrior was briefly stunned, but he got to his feet and immediately resumed his assault.

The Eater staggered backward under the heavy blows of the sword, and tripped over the prone black chocobo. The fiend tried to get up, but found itself unable to, and Auron continued his assault, now aided by Ria and her baseball bat. "Take this, and this!" the young woman shrieked, enraged by the Eater's attempt to devour the chocobos.

Suddenly, the Chocobo Eater waved its arms and the ground around them shook violently, knocking Ria and Auron off their feet. The girl retaliated by whirling her bat in the air, and shouting, "Tornado!"

The wind in the vicinity picked up, and a huge twister lifted the fiend into the air. Then the vortex vanished and dropped the Eater on its head, cracking its carapace. The fiend rolled to its feet and screamed, and then rushed at Ria, until Auron stepped in and buried his katana up to the hilt in its skull. The Chocobo Eater thrashed around violently, and died, dissolving into a pyrefly swarm. Once again, the pyreflies pulsed and turned red and black, but they didn't change back before vanishing this time. Once again, Ria fainted from the overexertion of her magic.

She woke up again at sunrise, sat up, and looked around. "Did you sleep well?" the swordsman asked her.

"Yeah, but I'm still a little tired."

"Your magic is still kind of low because that was a powerful spell you cast last night."

"I suppose that'll change when I get some more training, right?"

He nodded, and then Ria said, "Auron, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Why do those lights, I mean pyreflies, keep turning those awful colors?"

He didn't say anything at first, but finally replied, "I don't know." Then he smiled, "It looks like you've made a friend, Ria."

The young woman suddenly found herself being nudged from behind, and she turned and saw the white chocobo standing there, gratitude apparent in its intelligent blue eyes.

"Wark," chirped the chocobo.

Ria petted the bird and turned back to Auron, who was now being lavished with adoration by the black chocobo. "Well, it looks like we found a ride," she grinned.

"Yes, now we can get across the broken bridge."

The two of them got up, and prepared to start their journey anew, and Ria thought to herself, _"Somehow, I don't think that this is the only broken bridge we'll be facing on this trip…"_

That's it for chapter 4. That was a pretty spiffy battle, wasn't it? Well you know what I want: review and pray that Ivan doesn't blow my damn house away! Thank you and good night.


	5. Ch 5 Discoveries

I'm back, everybody! It was a little hairy for a while, but we came through all right. Anyway, I don't own anything except the OC's, although I wouldn't mind owning some of the other characters. Also, anything spoken in Al Bhed will be quoted with apostrophes ('). Okay, it's time for Chapter 5.

Chapter 5: Discoveries

The sign at the entrance of the little border town read "Discovery, Alabama". Ria took it as a possible omen, but she didn't know whether it was one of hope or doom. She saw Auron staring at the sign's flowery script with a slightly bewildered expression on his face. "Auron, is something the matter?" she asked him, carefully turning so that she didn't accidentally fall off her chocobo.

"What does that sign say?" he pointed at it.

"What, you mean you can't read?" Ria was incredulous.

"No, I can read, it's just that the letters here are different from those on Spira."

"Oh, well the sign says 'Welcome to Discovery, Alabama'. You'd probably be able to read it if it wasn't written in cursive letters." she told him.

They rode into town and noticed that the people seemed to be nervous. Finally, Auron grew tired of the suspicious looks that the townspeople were throwing him, and reined in his chocobo. "All right," he shouted after dismounting, "What is everyone's problem?"

Ria pulled up next to him and stopped. "Auron, are you out of your damn mind?" she hissed. "These people have shotguns! You DO know what a gun is, don't you?"

He didn't look at her, but kept his baleful gaze on the frightened townsfolk. "Yes, Ria, I do know what a gun is, and I'd really like it if you would stop questioning my sanity." he told her.

A wizened old man stepped forward from the crowd, a muzzleloader clutched in his trembling hands. "Are you with those monsters we've been seeing lately?"

"No, sir," Ria calmly replied, "My grim friend and I are monster hunters, and we had stopped by to see if you people needed any help."

"Oh, thank God!" the old man cried, relief evident in every inch of him. "Hey, everybody, they're here to help us."

Suddenly, the chocobos let out a warning cry, and their feathers flattened in alarm as a trio of mottled blue and red lizards appeared from behind an abandoned building. Auron and Ria pulled out their weapons, but the townsfolk had already begun an assault on the fiends. It was a short fight that ended with the fiends riddled with numerous bullet holes before they faded away. When the fight was over, Auron looked around with barely-concealed amusement mingled with astonishment. "It looks like you don't need our help after all."

"Those things aren't the problem," the old man retorted.

"Oh, really?"

"Our problem isn't these small fry, it's the dragon."

"A dragon?" Ria gaped, "You've got to be kidding me."

"I'm not joking! There's been this big-ass red dragon attacking the town off and on for the past few days, and we've tried to fight it, but a lot of our people got killed and it's still coming back!"

Auron thought about it for a moment and asked, "Do you know where its lair is?"

"No, but it'll come back in a couple of hours, and you can fight it all you want when it gets here."

"Very well, but first we'll need some supplies."

The old man eyed the swordsman suspiciously. "What kind of supplies?"

Suddenly, a blond-headed young man piped up, "Hank, I think he means all that weird stuff that stranger has in his shop."

Old Man Hank's eyes lit up and he replied, "Oh yeah, I forgot about that."

"What shop are you talking about?" Ria was curious.

"Well, this weird guy and his old lady showed up about the same time the monsters did, and they set up shop up the road from here. They've got some really good medicines, even though they'll only take monster treasure in payment."

"Did they say where they were from?" Auron asked him.

"Yeah, they said that they were 'All Beds' or something like that, and they have a really funny accent when they speak."

"Take us to them."

Hank led the two of them and their chocobos up the road to what appeared to be a refurbished antique shop. He nodded toward the door and said, "Well, there's the shop. The dragon will show up before long, though, so this is where we say good-bye."

"Don't worry; we'll take care of it." Ria told him.

"Confident, aren't we," Auron smirked as they entered the shop.

A man in a blue jumpsuit of an odd design greeted them. He was darker than Auron, but had curly orange hair and goggles hiding his eyes. "How may I help you?" the shopkeeper asked.

The swordsman said, "My Al Bhed is a little rusty, but…" and spoke haltingly in an odd language that Ria had never heard before.

'I need some supplies for a battle,' Auron said.

The keeper looked surprised, then replied, 'Well, I never thought I'd see another Spiran around here. What's your name, brother?'

'Auron, and yours?'

'I am Bakkuri, and my wife, Keyya is in the back.' He stopped and peered closely at Auron. 'Hey, you're Lady Yuna's guardian, aren't you?'

'Yes, but now I'm hers,' he nodded at Ria, who gave him a nervous smile.

"Hello, my lady," Bakkuri greeted her with a little bow. "I am Bakkuri, the owner of this little shop."

"I'm Ria," the young woman replied, "And I thank you for switching to a language I understand."

The shopkeeper threw back his head and laughed heartily. "Sir Auron, your summoner has a lot of spirit!"

Auron's lips twitched slightly as he said, "Some people would call it contrariness, but she's a mage, not a summoner."

Ria sniffed. "Well, _Sir_ Auron, some people have enough sense to appreciate a woman with spirit. I'm _so_ sorry that you don't seem to be counted among them."

She stalked out of the shop, while Auron sighed and Bakkuri guffawed. "Summoner or mage, all women will find some way to get you in trouble," he laughed.

Auron made a face, "Which is why I avoided getting married in the first place. Anyway, do you have some Potions and Ethers?"

"I have plenty of Ethers, but I'm running kind of low on Potions right now. These people seem to have no idea how to use magic, but know a lot about machina."

"Yes, the people in this world are strange, but we can't do anything about it."

The swordsman paid for the items and started to leave, but Bakkuri stopped him. "Oh, and here," he said, pressing some crumpled paper into Auron's hand. "I don't know what this stuff is, but the people here keep trying to give it to me and Keyya."

Auron left the shop, and looked around for Ria. He found her with the chocobos, and with her back turned to him. She turned around at the sound of his approach and asked, "Did you get some more Potions and stuff?"

Before he could reply, the chocobos shrieked in terror as the dark form of the dragon flew overhead. It wheeled around and landed in the middle of the broad central road, giving Ria and Auron a baleful stare as it did so. The dragon was every bit as huge as the legends made it out to be, and was covered head-to-tail in ruby-red scales and gleaming ebony spikes. The fiend's huge golden eyes gleamed with a malevolent intelligence as it slowly advanced on the two of them. "Would you happen to know anything about this thing?" Ria asked Auron as she pulled out her bat.

"No, I've never seen this thing before in my life," he replied with a grin.

"Oh, well that's reassuring."

The red dragon roared, sounding like the T-Rex from "Jurassic Park" and swept its spiked tail around in a fearsome arc, just missing the would-be slayers and shattering the asphalt of the street. The two of them split up, trying to force the fiend to choose a target, and began their assault. Ria managed to get behind it, and brought her baseball bat down on the end of its tail with a resounding crack. The dragon let out a deafening scream of pain, and swept around, knocking the young woman to the ground. She whipped the bat around and cracked it on the end of the snout, but the blow only succeeded in making the fiend angrier. Auron stepped in and swung his katana in a vertical strike that lopped off several feet of the dragon's tail, and deep violet blood spurted out of the stump. The fiend bellowed again, but this time had an unusual dark cloud floating around its head.

"I've blinded it," the swordsman shouted, easily dodging the monster's now-inaccurate attacks. "It should be easier to handle, now."

Just then, the dragon's wings started to glow and it flapped them once, and a great explosion of fire erupted out of the air. Then it used the momentary distraction to swipe at Auron with a clawful of foot-long talons. He managed to escape a painful death by rolling out of the way, but still got a nasty slash across his back. Ria bashed it on the still-bleeding tail, and the dragon knocked her down. The dragon loomed over her, still blinded by the black fog, but trying its best to eat her. Finally, Ria managed to scramble out from under the fiend, but lost her bat in the process. It chased after her, and the young woman ran, while muttering to herself, "A dragon, a dragon, it has fire, so which element was it that Auron said Fire was weak against?"

She dropped to the ground, and barely missed being incinerated by a wave of flame from its mouth. "Wait, I remember now!"

Ria got up and turned around just in time to see the fiend bearing down on her. She threw up her hands and yelled "Blizzard", and a spike of ice fired upward out of the ground, piercing through the dragon's throat. The dead monster dropped to the pavement and dissolved into the usual cloud of pyreflies, and once again, they turned red and black before vanishing.

"Woo-hoo! I did it, I actually killed a fiend!" she exulted.

"Good job," Auron responded, wincing as he gingerly got to his feet.

Just then, the people of Discovery came out of their hiding places and started cheering wildly. "You did it!" Hank gleefully shouted. "You guys killed the dragon!"

A middle-aged woman approached the heroes and said, "I'm Carlotta Jenkins, the manager of the King's Hotel, and as a thanks for you're heroism, I'd like to let the two of you stay in the hotel for free for a few days."

"What's the catch?" Auron's tone was doubtful.

Ria elbowed him in the ribs and said, "Thank you, ma'am. We really appreciate it." She looked over at Bakkuri, "Sir, could you take care of the chocobos for us while we're here?"

The Al Bhed nodded and replied, "I would be honored, lady."

An hour later, the two of them had settled into the best room at the hotel, which unfortunately, turned out to be a one-bed Honeymoon Suite. "Ria, we really shouldn't stay here," Auron told her, with a strange note in his voice.

Ria came out of the bathroom, now wearing a pair of lavender pajamas, and shot him a dirty look as she toweled her hair. "Look, I know you don't want to stay here, but we're both exhausted. You aren't Superman, you know." she snapped. "Besides, those Potions may heal injuries, but they don't take away the fact that we've been walking, riding, and sleeping on the ground for damn near a week, and I was about ready to kill for a shower. Oh yeah, and you can put those clothes that Hank gave us to good use while we get ours cleaned."

She handed him some of the clothes out of the stack that had been given to them, and wrinkled her nose. "Now, go take a shower, please."

He glowered at the young woman, and she stared right back. Finally, Auron surrendered and stalked off to the bathroom, swearing under his breath. Ria finished drying her hair, and then left to find something to eat.

A little while later, she returned with some Chinese takeout, and found the swordsman hard at work repairing his coat. He stopped, set down his work, and stood up. Ria found herself staring at him like an idiot (again!). Auron was wearing a pair of black pajama bottoms and nothing else. He gave her a concerned look and asked her, "Ria, are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm just fine," she answered, shaking her head as if to clear it. "Well, I brought us some food, if you're hungry. Bakkuri said that he would feed Snow and Shadow, so I didn't go see them."

"Who?"

"Snow and Shadow. You know, our chocobos. Shadow is the black one and Snow is the white one."

"Okay, I guess the names are appropriate."

They ate in silence, and Ria was trying very hard not to stare, since Auron wasn't wearing a shirt and he happened to be very well built. He pushed his ponytail back over his shoulder, and gave her a peculiar look. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yeah," her voice went up an octave and she stopped, took a deep breath, and sighed. "No, I'm not all right, but it's just a little problem that I will get over on my own."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Ria threw away her garbage and picked up the remote control. "Let's see what's on the news."  
The television came on, and after a little channel surfing, she found a channel that was playing the news. "…Satellite imaging sent back to Earth has shown that a new continent has appeared in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean…" the reporter intoned. "…Scientists believe that this continent may be the lost Atlantis from legend, but all attempts to even get near the mysterious landmass have met with the disappearances of all who approach…"

"That's Spira!" Auron spluttered, trying not to choke on a piece of chicken. "That's my homeland."

"Why the hell is it here?" Ria asked, trying very hard to remain composed.

"I don't know, but we'll have to find out."

"We?"

"Yes, the two of us can check it out, but it can wait until we find your family."

The young woman turned off the television, and said, "But first, we need to get some sleep."

Auron grabbed a blanket, and was about to sleep on the floor when Ria stopped him. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to bed."

"On the floor? Get up here." she ordered.

"What?" the swordsman actually blushed slightly.

"Look, it's not like we're lovers or something, and this is a big-ass bed, so you can sleep up here, too."

"But,"

"No buts. I've done this plenty of times with both male and female friends, and nothing happened then, either."

"All right, you win," he climbed into the bed next to her and lay so that his back was to her. "Good night, Ria."

She turned off the light and said, "You, too."

Auron lay there for quite some time, listening to Ria's breathing, when she rolled over and threw her arm over his side. He waited to see what the young woman was going to do, but she just sighed and settled into a deep sleep. _"I think that this is going to be a very long night,"_ he thought to himself before finally dozing off.

Woo-hoo! I finally finished chapter 5! (A crowd appears and cheers wildly) Yes, I know there is some sexual tension between Auron and Ria, but I guarantee that if anything happens, it won't be for a while yet. Anyway, review and tell me how I'm doing so far. Thank you and good-bye for now.


	6. Ch 6 The Prince

Hi everyone! It is I, Anasazi, here with a change in the flow of the story. From now on, anything spoken in Al Bhed will be quoted with slashes (/). Also, I would like to give props to ChakaTehMoogle for reviewing. Anyway, here comes the new chapter.

Chapter 6: The Prince

…Flash…

Auron stood in a brilliantly lit field full of flowers, and watched as two figures approached him. One was a knight clad in shining silver armor and, in place of a cape, a pair of diamond-bright feathered wings. The other was a tall, blond-headed young man with blue eyes and an earnest expression. The blond youth stepped forward, and as he approached, the swordsman heard a song that he had not heard in quite some time.

"The 'Hymn of the Fayth'?" Auron was confused.

The youth grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, I'm still not used to that."

"Who are you?" the swordsman asked, warily eyeing the knight, "And who is that?"

"Oh, us?" the boy waved dismissively, "You'll find out later, but right now I need to tell you something important."

"And what would that be?"

The youth's humorous expression became grave. "Ria has some difficult times ahead of her, and she may want to give up. I want you to be there for her."

When the guardian gave him a shocked look, the boy held up one hand. "No, that's not what I meant! I'm talking about being there as her friend."

Auron's look became suspicious. "What's supposed to happen?"

"I can't tell you that. Just please look after Ria for me." The young man's eyes were pleading.

"All right."

"Thank you, but now it's time for you to wake up…"

…Flash…

Auron opened his eye and stared bemusedly at the ceiling. "What an odd dream," he said to himself.

"What?" Ria yawned, sitting up next to her comrade.

"I had a really strange dream, but now I can't remember what it was."

The young sorceress got to her feet. "Well, maybe you'll remember it later, but right now we need to get ready to leave."

The two of them changed back into their usual clothes, packed up the rest of their things, and left the hotel. Once outside, they ran into Hank, who had a frantic look on his face. "Oh, I'm so glad I caught you two before you left."

"What's the matter, Hank?" Ria's voice was full of concern.

"We found another monster in town."

"What? I thought that the dragon was the last one," Auron growled.

Hank gave them a nervous chuckle, "Yeah, that's what I thought, too, but apparently there's another one hiding out in Carver's Grocery Store. If I had known it was in there, I would've asked y'all yesterday."

"Auron…" Ria began.

"All right, all right," the swordsman conceded. "Just tell us where this 'grocery store' is, and we'll deal with it."

The old man led them to a building several blocks away, and said, "The thing is in there, and we've tried to get it, but it's almost as strong as that dragon. But I'm sure that the two of you can handle it."

'Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," Ria dryly replied.

Auron and Ria stalked through the store, their weapons held at the ready, not knowing what to expect. They tiptoed around a corner into the dairy aisle, and that was where they found the "fearsome" fiend. "Oh, how cute." the young woman cooed.

It was small, standing at about knee-height, and green-skinned. The little fiend wore a brownish-gray hooded monk's robe, and faded orange shoes. It also had a little silver lantern and a rather large kitchen knife in its hands. The tiny creature looked up, with round yellow eyes filled with fear, of all emotions, and it made a threatening gesture with its knife.

"D-don't come any closer," it squeaked in a high-pitched, but undeniably male voice. "If you come any closer, then I'll stab you."

"It's a Tonberry," Auron explained. "This is the youngest one I've seen, but it is still very dangerous."

"Oh, come off it, man!" Ria negligently flipped her hand at him, and turned her attention back to the little fiend. "Come on," she said in a coaxing tone, "No one is going to hurt you."

The Tonberry watched her carefully, and he said, "Do you promise? You promise that you won't try to kill me?"

The woman nodded at him, "I swear to God that neither one of us will try to hurt you. Now come on over here."

Auron grabbed her elbow and hissed, "Ria, have you lost your mind?"

"I thought that we agreed to stop questioning each other's sanity, my dear guardian," she gave him a baleful stare.

Meanwhile, the Tonberry slowly shuffled to where the would-be slayers were standing and looked up at the both of them. "Okay, I'm here, so are you going to keep your promise?" He gave Auron a fearful look.

The swordsman sighed, and said, "Yes, we won't hurt you, but I'm not so sure about the people outside."

"I won't let them hurt…Wait, what is your name?" Ria wondered.

"Bob."

"I won't let them hurt Bob." she finished as she picked up the creature.

They went back outside, where the townspeople had gathered. "Hey, I thought you were going to kill that critter for us," one person shouted angrily.

"We didn't say that we would kill a child," Ria snapped back.

"We're taking it with us when we leave town, so you won't have to worry about it anymore," the swordsman told the populace.

The three of them walked past the crowd, and went to Bakkuri's shop, where the merchant and his wife were waiting with the chocobos. /Are you sure this is wise, Sir Auron?/ the Al Bhed asked in his native tongue.

/No, I'm not, but if I try to stop her, then she'll probably give me some speech on it being the 'right thing to do'./

"I really wish that the two of you would stop talking about me," Ria complained.

She was now mounted on Snow, the white chocobo, and Bob was seated in front of her. The two men stared in shock at how calm the bird was with a fiend being on its back. "Snow likes him," the sorceress announced, rather loftily.

Auron chose not to reply, but mounted the black Chocobo, Shadow, while Bakkuri handed Ria a book. "This is a book of Al Bhed, the language of my people. If you're going to travel with such a famous guardian, then you may need it someday."

"Wow, thank you, I don't know what to say."

The merchant smiled. "You don't have to say anything, just practice hard and come visit me again someday."

She nodded. "I will."

Auron, Ria, and Bob left Discovery that afternoon, and continued their journey to Panama City. That evening, the three of them sat around the campfire and the guardian finally spoke to the Tonberry. "So, Bob, what's the Crown Prince of the Tonberry Nation doing wandering about outside of the caves? Isn't your father going to be irate when he finds out that you've run away?"

"What? Bob, you're a PRINCE?" Ria couldn't believe her ears.

The little fiend winced, "Yes, but I didn't run away from home, honest. One minute, I was exploring a new passageway in the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth, and the next minute, all these humans and their machina are chasing me. I hid in that building, but they kept coming after me, and I was finally forced to defend myself. Unfortunately, I kind of lost the Silver Crown, and I just know that Dad's going to pitch a fit when he finds out." His shoulders slumped and his little fishtail drooped. "That's if I can ever find a way back home."

Ria patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry, Bob. Auron and I will help you find your way back home."

The swordsman was astounded, and it showed in his voice. "So, you're willing to come with me to Spira after we find your family?"

"Yes, I am," she replied, "Besides, I don't really have a job anymore, so I might as well keep traveling with you."

Suddenly, as if he remembered something, Auron began to dig around in that weird infinite space where he kept everything and pulled out the wad of papers Bakkuri had given to him the day before. "Here," he said, handing the paper to Ria, "Bakkuri gave this to me yesterday, and said that you might know what it is."

The young woman carefully opened up the papers and gasped. "Auron, do you know what this is?"

When he shook his head, she cried, "Auron! This has got to be at least a thousand dollars!"

"Ria, I don't understand what you're saying."

"This is money, and a lot of it! Where did Bakkuri get all of this?"

The guardian shrugged. "He said that the people in the town kept trying to give it to him, but he didn't know what it was, so he gave it to me."

Ria smacked her forehead and groaned. "Here, you hold on to it, for now," she said, handing the bills back to him.

Bob cocked his head to one side, and said, "I don't think I'll ever understand you humans. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed." Then the Tonberry Prince shuffled over to the chocobos and tripped over his feet when he was halfway there.

"Are you all right?" Auron asked him.

The little fiend got to his feet, dusted himself off, and casually replied, "Yeah, I'm used to that sort of thing. Good night, everybody."

A little while later, both Bob and the chocobos were in blissful slumber, but Ria and Auron were both wide-awake. The sorceress poked the fire with a long stick and absentmindedly hummed to herself in the same haunting melody from their trip in her car. The guardian jumped and Ria stopped singing. "What's wrong?" she wanted to know.

"Nothing."

Ria gave him a hard look. "It can't be 'nothing'. Auron, why is it that every time I sing that song, you act like a ghost just popped up and slapped the hell out of you?"

He responded by giving her a piercing stare. "Why is it your business?"

"Because you keep acting weird if I so much as hum a note of that song. Now why the hell do you keep acting this way?"

"I already told you that it doesn't matter, so why can't you just leave it alone?" he snarled at her.

"Tell me, DAMN IT!" she shrieked.

"FINE! If you must know, that song you've been singing is called the 'Hymn of the Fayth', and they've been singing it on Spira for the past thousand years. The Fayth sing it endlessly and that's how a person knows that the soul of the Fayth is still active! Of course, a better word for it would be 'imprisoned'."

"I…I didn't know," Ria was taken aback. "Auron, I'm sorry."

He sighed, "It doesn't matter anymore, anyway, because all the Fayth were set free when we defeated Yu Yevon. What I don't understand is how you could have possibly learned that song when you've lived here your whole life."

"I've already told you: I remember hearing it when I was very small. Maybe someone sang it without knowing what it was and I just picked it up?"

"Maybe the two of you should be quiet and get some sleep," Bob interrupted.

Suddenly a cloud surrounded their heads, and both Ria and Auron dropped off under the effects of a 'Sleep' spell. Satisfied, the Tonberry Prince put out the fire, rolled over, and went back to sleep.

Well, it looks like Auron and Ria have a new companion. Yes, I know that Bob is kind of FFVIII-ish, but bear with me, okay? Anyway, I'd really like to hear what you all think about him, so send in those reviews.


	7. Ch 7 Love and Fayth

I DO NOT own Square Enix, which really sucks. If someone hasn't figured it out yet, I LOVE AURON! He's the coolest character in the game…(Takes a deep breath)…Whew, I finally got that out of my system. Anyway, I would like to say thanks to Chaka for reviewing again, and here is a brand new chapter.

Chapter 7: Love and Fayth

Panama City was once a beautiful beach resort town, but now it was well on its way to becoming a wasteland. Most of the buildings were gutted by fire, and were now just empty shells. This awful truth greeted Ria, Auron, and Bob when they arrived in the city. "What in the world happened here?" The sorceress' face was full of sorrow.

A survivor, an emaciated young Hispanic woman, crept out from inside one of the burned buildings and stared at the three of them with a hopeless expression on her face. "God abandoned this city," she told them, the light of madness glinting in her eyes. "You would be wise to leave, before the Dead return."

"We are looking for the Holiday Inn," Ria responded, keeping her expression neutral, "Could you please tell us where it is?"

The woman pointed a dirty finger southward. "It's down close to the beach, but that is where the Dead first appeared, so there is nothing there, now. If you go, however, then be sure to find a place to hide by sunset or they will catch you, too."

She then turned and ran back inside the building, and the sounds of her weeping were heard from the street. Bob peered at the darkness of the doorway and said, "That lady was crazy, wasn't she?"

"Yes, she is, and I imagine that a lot of people here are the same way," Auron quietly replied. "We can't do anything for her, so we need to move on."

A few minutes later, the three of them arrived at what remained of the beach, and found that some of the buildings here had completely collapsed. A priest walked along the shore, tightly gripping his crucifix, and saying a prayer at each wreck he came upon. When Snow absolutely refused to set foot on the sand, Ria dismounted and handed the reins to Bob. "Stay here," she told him.

When the Tonberry gave her a curious look, she explained, "I don't think that man would understand that you aren't a threat, so I want you to stay here and protect the chocobos for me."

The little fiend shrugged and said, "Whatever. I'd rather not walk on that creepy beach, anyway."

The young woman jogged down to where the priest was standing and said, "Excuse me, Father, but my friends and I are kind of lost."

The priest, a man who appeared to be in his mid-fifties, gave her a grave look. "We are all lost, my child. All we can do in this time of crisis is look to Heaven for answers."

Ria sighed, "That's not what I meant, Father. I'm trying to find the Holiday Inn, but it doesn't seem to be around here and…" she stopped when she saw the shaken expression on his face.

"Child, did you know someone at the inn?" he asked her, with an odd tone that was both kindly and sad.

"Yeah, my family was staying there on vacation. Why, did something happen?"

"I'm so sorry child, but the Holiday Inn was completely destroyed a couple of days after the monsters appeared, and everyone inside died." The priest nodded at the ruin the two of them were standing before. "This is all that is left."

The sorceress's legs refused to hold her up any longer, and she dropped to her hands and knees. "I don't believe you," she whispered, "You're lying."

"I wish I was. Really, I do, but…"

"What did you say to her?" Auron stormed to where they were with fury visible in every line of his body. He grabbed the priest by the collar and lifted him off the ground. "What did you do?"

"No, Auron, don't," Ria softly said, "Its okay, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, now will you please put the priest down?"

The swordsman let him go, and the older man straightened himself out. "If you just came into town, then you don't have anywhere to hide, do you?" he asked them.

"What are we supposed to be hiding from, priest?" Auron spat out the word like a curse.

The man shook his head and sighed. "Just get your things and follow me, and you can stay with me at the church," he told them as he walked away. "Oh, and by the way, my name is Father William."

They got back on their chocobos and followed Father William, who led them to a large, dilapidated cathedral. "This is one of the few remaining safe places in the city," the priest explained as he locked the doors behind them.

"Safe from what?" Bob wanted to know.

"Egad, what is that?" William gasped, staring at the Tonberry.

"This is Bob, and I can assure you that he's quite harmless," Ria answered.

"What are we supposed to be hiding from?" the little fiend asked again.

The priest sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes as a bone-chilling wailing began outside. "We call them the Dead. I guess they're the zombies that you see in the movies, but anyway, they started showing up about the same time as all the other monsters you see everywhere else. At first, it was only a few of them, and they were wearing these weird yellow uniforms, but then their leader showed up."

"And that's when everything went from bad to worse, I take it?" Auron's expression was unreadable.

He nodded, "Exactly. Their leader is a reanimated skeleton and it carries a pair of cursed swords. Many people have tried to kill it, but they all joined the Dead when those swords cut them. They hide during the day, but we don't know where, and we're running out of places to hide, because blasted thing keeps using some kind of unholy magic that leaves a path of destruction in its wake. Fortunately, the thing's magic won't work on holy ground, so all of the churches, temples, and synagogues have been converted into shelters."

Suddenly, the haunting tones of "The Hymn of the Fayth" filled the cathedral, startling everyone into silence.

William's eyes lit up when he heard the song. "The statue is singing again," he breathed, looking rapturous.

"A singing statue?" Ria was astonished.

"Yes, some people brought it here a few days back, claiming to have found it in the ruins of the inn, and it sang up until they left, so I had thought it to be a hoax." He smiled brightly. "It turns out that I was wrong."

Bob, full of curiosity, walked alone to go see the marvel, but when Ria and Auron moved to join him, the priest cried out, "Stop."

The two of them turned around and William gave the sorceress a stony-faced look. "Young lady, we need to talk."

"About what?" she asked, backing up a step.

"I've seen enough crises in my time to know the signs of emotional shock when I see them. You need to go ahead and accept what I told you earlier."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said flatly.

"If you keep your grief bottled up, it will eat you from the inside out. Do you really want to end up a hollow shell?"

Ria backed another step away, and wrapped her arms around herself. She shut her eyes tightly, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to overwhelm her. "I will not cry!" she hissed between gritted teeth.

Auron stared at the priest. "What's this all about?" he asked.

"She's refusing to accept that her family is gone," William calmly replied, his eyes still on the young woman. "They, along with everyone else, were killed when the Dead destroyed the Holiday Inn."

The swordsman, full of the compassion that can only come from one who suffered a similar loss, approached his friend. He laid one hand on her quaking shoulder, and in a gentle voice that even surprised him, said, "Ria, let it go."

Finally, the young woman's tears escaped her, and a wall of grief came crashing down on her. "Oh, Auron," she wailed, "They're all gone!"

The guardian said nothing, but pulled her close and gave her a friendly shoulder to cry on. Suddenly, Bob ran back from the small room where the statue was and shouted, "Ria, Auron, Whatever-Your-Name-Is, you guys have to come see this!"

They followed the Tonberry into the room, and Ria temporarily forgot her grief as she stared at a miraculous sight. Standing in front of the opposite wall, was an enormous side-viewed statue of a young man standing next to a winged knight, but what was truly extraordinary was the spirit that stood before them. He was tall, blond, and had a pair of merry blue eyes that twinkled with mischief. _"Hello, Sis,"_ the spirit said in a voice that seemed to come from far away. _"It's been a while, hasn't it?"_

"Oh, Wes, what's happened to you?" the young woman cried forlornly.

"I remember you," Auron said, "You're the one from that dream I had back in Discovery."

_"Yes, I am,"_ Wes gravely replied, _"But now is not the time to discuss it. Both Earth and Spira are in terrible danger."_

"What? Wes, do you know why Spira has showed up here on Earth?" Ria asked him.

"A dark force has somehow shattered the boundaries between Earth and Spira through the use of the Afterlife. I can't tell you who it is, because the chaos caused by the rift hides this person from my vision. All I know is that the one behind it is currently on Spira."

"And whoever this 'dark force' is, they're also responsible for the fiends attacking everyone," Auron said, anger adding an edge to his voice.

The boy nodded, _"Yes, they are responsible for the deaths of countless innocent people, which is why I became a Fayth in order to help you."_

The winged knight from the statue appeared beside him. _"I give to you the Holy Knight, the aeon Alexander. I know that you aren't a summoner, Ria, but when there is great need, I will come and aid you."_

Then Wes and Alexander combined and changed into a ball of white light that surrounded the young woman and vanished. Ria said nothing, but stalked toward the entrance to the church with a look of grim determination on her face. "Wait, are you suicidal or something?" William yelled. "You'll be killed if you go out there!"

He ran to stop her, but Auron said, "No, this is something that she has to do."

The young woman stepped outside, and saw the Dead for the first time. Most of the zombies wore Earth-style clothes, but some of them wore odd-looking uniforms and carried rifles. All of them, however, had skin that was dark green flecked with hideous red splotches. Standing in the middle of the milling zombie crowd, was their leader. The description that the priest had given was accurate, but did not capture the horror of the fiend. It looked like it had rotted at the bottom of a swamp, and had teeth that were filed down to sharpened points. The skeleton's tattered red cape spread out behind it like a gruesome parody of a peacock's fan, and its rusty, cursed swords glinted sinisterly in the light of the waning moon. As it slowly advanced, Ria closed her eyes and said, "Brother, aid me now. Help me avenge our family."

Suddenly, the sound of great wings could be heard as the aeon appeared. Even in that dim light, Alexander's armor gleamed like a polished mirror, and his wings shined like the full moon. The aeon unsheathed his sparkling crystal broadsword, and held it up to the young woman in salute. Ria nodded once, and Alexander turned and thrust the sword skyward, and the heavens opened up with a barrage of Holy light in answer. The beams of light ripped though the zombie hordes, and when it faded, their leader was the only one left standing. The skeleton went into a berserk rage and launched itself at the aeon, who retaliated with a mighty one-handed swing that shattered the fiend's skull. As the fallen enemy faded away. Alexander faded away, leaving Wes standing in his place. _"Sister, it is done,"_ he intoned.

"Yes," she responded wearily, "We have avenged our family. Now we have to honor their memory by stopping the one who caused all of this."

Wes nodded and vanished as Auron, Father Williams, and Bob walked out of the church. "You did it, Ria!" the priest ecstatically cried. "You got rid of the Dead!"

"Yes, but I don't think I'll be doing that again in a hurry," she replied.

The next morning, Bob, Auron, and Ria got ready to leave, and found William waiting for them. "Well, what is it?" Auron asked him.

The priest smiled and said, "I just wanted to say thank you, and to go with God, my son."

The swordsman gave him a quick salute, and rode off, leaving Ria and Bob to catch up. William continued to smile as they faded into the distance, and then turned and walked back into the cathedral, fading away as he walked. _"Now, my death has been avenged, too, and I can finally be at peace…"_ the priest sighed as he was enveloped by Light and found the way home.

A little while later, Ria reined in Snow, and Auron turned around and asked her, "What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "Nothing's wrong, I just wanted to say thank you for being there last night."

He smiled and replied, "Hey, that's what friends are for."

As they rode off toward their next destination, Bob groaned, "You humans are just one complication after another."

Yay, a new chapter is finished! This is probably the saddest (emotionally) thing I've ever written. I think I did a pretty good job on this one, but I still want your reviews. Yes, I know that Alexander wasn't in X, and I can assure you that Ria is NOT going to be able to whip him out for every little battle. Hey, she still hasn't quite gotten the hang of her magic, yet. Anyway, keep those reviews coming and see you next time.


	8. Ch 8 O'aka's Tale

Hello again, everyone. As you already know, I only own the OC's, and nothing else. Once again, I would like to thank those people who review regularly (i.e. Chaka), and I hope that many blessings rain down on you. As for those who read, but don't review, I will now give you a dirty look. (Glares angrily as black flames erupt from the floor) Anyway, I am proud to present a brand-new chapter for your enjoyment.

Chapter 8: O'aka's Tale

Ria, Auron, and Bob arrived in a small town named Sunrise Cove about a week later. They were all completely exhausted, and even the chocobos' feathers were drooping. The three of them dismounted the tired birds and led them to the shade of a tree near the street. Snow and Shadow both lay down beneath the tree and gratefully dug into the food and water Ria gave them. "I know how you feel," Ria murmured as the birds settled down into a blissful doze.

"I hope somebody in this place will give us a ride back to Spira," Bob sighed wearily.

"I'm sure we can find somebody willing to help us out," Auron replied, shouldering his giant katana.

Ria shot him a suspicious glance. "I don't think that threatening anyone is going to help matters."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he innocently replied.

The three of them walked down to the docks, where they saw several anglers busily repairing a badly torn net, swearing all the while. "Excuse me, but are any of you the captain of…" the young woman squinted at the dingy writing on the side of the fishing vessel. "…Of the _Morning Star_?"

"That'd be me," answered a man on her right. He was short, bald, and surly. "What do you want? Can't you see that we're busy?"

"Yes, and I hate to bother you," she replied, "But my friends and I were wondering if you could give us a ride?"

"The _Morning Star_ ain't no cruise ship, girl. Where do you want a ride to, anyway?"

"Spira," Auron shortly replied.

"Spear-Ah?" the captain was bewildered.

"He means that new land that appeared recently." Ria explained.

Suddenly the captain and the rest of the crew fell into gales of wild laughter. "You're mad, girl!" one crewmember crowed.

"Absolutely barking!" howled another.

The captain composed himself, and finally said, "Sorry, but no can do."

"Why?" Bob piped up.

"No one can go to this 'Spear-Ah' place because the land vanishes like a mirage when a ship gets near it, and then the sea monster sinks most of them," he replied, staring at the Tonberry with some surprise. "I would like to help you, really, but I have a wife and four kids to think about."

"Sorry to bother you," Ria sighed.

They searched among the ships for another hour or so before finally giving up. "I can't believe this!" the sorceress groaned. "Not a one of these damn ships are willing to give us a ride!"

"Well, we'll just have to find another way, then," Auron calmly replied.

"Ooh, look at that!" Bob squealed, pointing at the ocean.

What the little fiend had spotted was a highly unusual-looking ship. It had all kinds of strange cranes and winches sticking out everywhere, and there was some odd, brightly colored writing on one side. "Auron, what the hell is that?" Ria asked.

"It looks like an Al Bhed salvage vessel. They use it to haul ancient machina off of the seafloor."

The ship moved closer, and everyone on the docks could easily see the crew. They wore the same brightly colored outfits and goggles that Bakkuri and Keyya had worn back in Discovery. Suddenly, terrified screams coming from behind interrupted the spectacle.

What appeared to be creatures made up of clumps of shiny bits and pieces had appeared, attracted by the crowd, and began casting spells left and right. Most of them were red, blue, gold, or white, but a few were black, and one was shining in every color of the rainbow. "Elementals will only use magic, and their physical defense is high, so you'll need to use magic opposite of what they use," Auron told Ria.

As the rest of the crowd ran away, the two slayers and Bob fought valiantly against the fiends. The swordsman lashed about with his katana in a series of wide arcs, the blade shifting from flame to bubbles, frost, and purple sparks with each swing. Meanwhile, the Tonberry wildly flailed his little silver lantern, and puffs of reddish-violet fog wafted about smashing into any Elemental that got in the way. However, the sorceress seemed to be having trouble getting her magic to work properly.

"No, I said Thunder, damn it!" she shrieked as a deluge of water stuck a Blue Element.

"What are you doing?" Auron yelled at her, taking out a couple of White Elements with a well-placed flame strike.

"Something's wrong with my magic," she called, whacking the now-healed fiend with her bat as she tried another spell. "Fire! Fire!"

Instead of engulfing the enemy in flames, suddenly Bob found himself surrounded by a ring of white light that restored his energy. "Hey, thanks for the Cure, Ria," the little fiend called, waving his lantern at her Element, which shattered as if it were made of glass.

"Don't mention it," the young woman retorted.

Even with her wayward magic, the three of them managed to mop up most of the fiend swarm, with the Rainbow Element being the sole exception. It hesitated, seeming to make up its mind, and fired what appeared to be a bolt of red lightning at Ria. Instead, Auron shoved her out of the way, and was the one who was stricken. "AURON!" both she and Bob screamed as the guardian fell to the ground.

Before they could rush to his aid, however, the swordsman got to his feet and shook his head. Auron looked as if he was okay, except that his body was surrounded by an angry crimson aura, and his face was twisted into a hideous mask of rage. Without saying a word, he turned and attacked the Rainbow Element with reckless abandon. His sword was a blur as it repeated struck the fiend, and the attack did not stop until the creature was vanquished. Before it died, however, it struck the berserk swordsman with a pulse of psychedelic light.

After the Element dissolved into the usual pyrefly cloud, Ria slowly approached her friend. "Auron, are you all right?" she asked him.

He turned around, and she backed up a step when she saw his face. He was still surrounded by red light, but his expression was confused instead of angry. Auron looked like he was having trouble focusing, and he shook his head again. "Hey, can you understand me?" the sorceress asked again.

His face took on a cold expression as he turned his unfocused gaze on Ria. "You…You killed them," he said in a voice full of deadly menace. He had used the same tone on the night they first met.

"What?" her voice shook slightly as she took another step back.

"Ria, we need to get away from him," Bob said as Auron pointed his weapon at the two of them.

"Yunalesca!" the guardian roared. "You killed them. You killed Braska and Jecht, you bitch!"

"RUN!" shouted Bob.

Ria just barely evaded the confused Auron's blade as it whistled past her torso. The young woman dodged another attack, then scooped up the Tonberry and ran away as fast as she her legs would take her. "What's wrong with him?" she asked Bob, glancing back over her shoulder. "Why is he trying to kill us?"

"That Element confused him, and he was already berserk, so the two problems have his mind stuck in the past. He thinks that he's back in Zanarkand, and that you're Lady Yunalesca," he explained. "At least, I think that's what the problem is."

"Can't you use the Sleep spell on him?"

"He's too angry for it to work."

They continued to run from the enraged swordsman, and they came across a strange little man who had just come out of a small boat, along with a couple of Al Bhed. The man was wearing an ill-fitting blue shirt, orange pants, and a little black hat. "Hello, love," the odd little man began in a strangely British accent.

"There's no time for that!" Ria yelled, "If you people value your lives, then you will run like hell, NOW!"

Just then, Auron caught up to them. "DIE!" he snarled, bringing down his sword in a crushing blow, narrowly missing the strangers.

/Run away!/ one of the Al Bhed shouted in his own language.

The five of them ran some more, but their pursuer showed no signs of tiring, so finally Ria stopped, set Bob on the ground, and said, "No. I'm not running anymore."

"WHAT?!" the little fiend shrieked. "Ria, he'll kill you if you don't run."

"Then that's a risk I'll have to take," she gravely replied, "You just find someplace to hide."

Bob tripped a couple of times, but made it to the stack of empty crates where the strangers were hiding. The black hat man stared at him and said, "You've got some crazy friends, mate."

As they watched, Ria kept making narrow escapes, but she was still silent. Finally, the young woman slipped and fell on the uneven pavement, and Auron made a vertical swing that would have cut her in two, had she not raised her bat to block it at the last minute. Although the aluminum bat did stop the attack, it was sliced almost in half, and was snatched out of her hands. "Auron, listen to me," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "Auron, it's me, Ria. Try to remember."

The swordsman pointed his katana at her, bud made no further movement. Ria took this as a good sign and continued to speak. "Auron, we've been together for almost a month, and you said in the beginning that you would be my guardian, remember? If you continue with what you're about to do, if you kill me, then you will fail in your duty, Sir Guardian."

Auron shook his head and backed away. "R-Ria?" his voice was doubtful.

Then Bob reemerged from his hiding place and held up his lantern. "Sorry about this," the Tonberry sadly sighed as he cast "Sleep" on his companion.

The guardian dropped to the ground, and the aura faded away. The two Al Bhed and the man in the black hat came out of hiding. "Well, that was an interesting welcome," the female Al Bhed said in a heavily accented voice.

An hour later, Auron woke up with a splitting headache. "How are you feeling, mate?" the man with the black hat asked with a note of amusement.

"O'aka XXIII? What are you doing here?"

"I'm something of a goodwill ambassador, just making his way in this big, new world."

"Oh, really? And I suppose that the fact that you stand to make millions selling Potions to these people has nothing to do with it?" Auron's tone was skeptical.

"You caught me, mate," O'aka replied with a laugh.

"Where are Ria and Bob?"

"Oh, you mean that girl and the little fiend? They went to get the chocobos, but the girl said that they would be back before long."

Just as the merchant finished that sentence, Bob and Ria returned with Snow and Shadow. "Hey, are you okay, now?" the Tonberry asked.

"Yes." Auron got to his feet. "Ria, I can't tell you how sorry I am. If you want to stop traveling with us, then I'll understand." His face was neutral, but his gaze was full of anguish over what he'd almost done.

"No! Ria, don't leave! I don't want to be stuck traveling alone with this old grouch!" Bob wailed.

The sorceress laughed. "Don't worry, Bob, I'm not leaving. I know it wasn't all Auron's fault; the Element messed with his head."

"How'd you know that he would stop if you talked about his being a guardian, love?" O'aka was curious. "That's the one thing that I don't get."

"I really don't know," she shrugged. "I guess I reached the soul hiding beneath all of that rage. Auron won't admit it, but he's a lot like the chivalrous knights from the old days."

The swordsman shot her a dirty look. "Very funny. Anyway, why are you really here, O'aka?"

"Well, if you think that this place is having troubles, then you should see Spira these days. The fiends there have gotten completely out of hand, and there's not enough Crusaders left to handle them all! The pyreflies have gone all wonky, turning weird colors, and I've heard rumors that they had to shut down the shoopuf ferry at Moonflow because people were being attacked by the little buggers! Then, as if things aren't bad enough, there are new fiends that no one has seen before popping up everywhere, and aeons appearing, even though the Fayth are gone."

"Does anyone know why this is happening?" Ria asked.

"No one knows for sure, but some people are saying that Maester Seymour is behind it."

"How is that possible? Auron, didn't you tell me that Seymour was finally Sent right before Sin was defeated?" the young woman was incredulous.

"Yes, he was Sent, but so was I, and I'm here now, so the rumors may be true."

"Then we'll just have to find out for ourselves when we get to Spira." she said with all the finality of an execution.

"I've just got one question," O'aka said, "How're you going to get there, love? I think you're going to have a hard time convincing the Al Bhed to give you a ride, because they're all set to start a travel agency out here."

"I'll think of something."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Auron sounded amused.

"Trust me," she grinned.

Yes, I know I cut it off as it was getting interesting, so everyone can stop screaming. (Screams of anguish go silent) Anyway, review, and I promise to keep writing, and to stop giving out dirty looks.


	9. Ch 9 Onward to Spira

You all know the story: I only own the OC's, although I wish it could be otherwise. In addition, I say kudos to Chaka for being such an avid fan, and curses on everyone who reads, but doesn't review. Okay, I'm finished repeating myself, and here's the next chapter.

Chapter 9: Onward to Spira

"Are you sure you want to do this, love? I don't think that the Al Bhed are going to go along with this," O'aka XXIII said with a doubtful look.

"Yes, I'm sure, and I would appreciate it if you'd stop calling me 'love'," Ria responded.

She, O'aka, Auron, and Bob were searching for the Al Bhed, who were planning to build a travel agency in Sunrise Cove. Ria had come up with the idea that they could convince the desert-dwellers to give them a ride to Spira, but had not explained how that could be accomplished, as of yet. The four of them found the Al Bhed, a man and a woman, appraising an old storage building on the southernmost end of the docks. /So, Raddi, what do you think of this one?/ the woman asked the man.

Raddi cocked his head to one side, seeming to make up his mind. /I don't know, Jirru. We should probably wait until the others get here before we make up our minds,/ he answered.

/Excuse me,/ Ria said in careful Al Bhed, /But could we speak with you for a few moments?/

Raddi and Jirru stared at her in surprise, their mouths hanging wide open. /You speak Al Bhed?/ the woman was astounded.

/Just a little,/ the sorceress modestly replied.

/How?/ Raddi wanted to know.

Ria showed them her book. "Bakkuri gave this to me a while back," she said, switching to English. "Do either of you know him and his wife, Keyya?"

Jirru smiled. "Bakkuri is my cousin," she answered, also in English.

"We need to ask a favor," Auron bluntly interrupted their conversation.

/You were Lady Yuna's guardian, were you not?/ Raddi stared at him, awestricken.

"Yes, and I need to ask you a favor."

"What is it?" the Al Bhed woman frowned. "I can't guarantee that I can grant your request, but I will listen."

"We need a ride to Spira," Ria said.

Jirru uttered an oath in Al Bhed. "You want to go to Spira? Has the merchant not told you what has been happening there?"

"He has, and that's why we're going," the swordsman replied.

"Yeah, we're going to kick the ass of whoever started all these problems," cheered Bob, who thrust his kitchen knife in the air in a warlike manner.

"Hey, I tried to talk them out of it, so don't look at me," O'aka said when Raddi and Jirru gave him a baleful stare.

"We really need to get to Spira, so could you please just take us?" asked the sorceress in a coaxing tone.

/We'd really like to help you, but Rin paid us to set up a new travel agency out here,/ Raddi told her.

Ria's expression darkened. "Well, you'll have a lot of trouble building your agency if the Immigration people come and arrest you."

"Immigration? Is that like the warrior monks of Yevon?" Jirru was curious.

Just then, several green camouflaged vehicles arrived, and several soldiers climbed out. "Oh, great," Ria groaned, "Just what we don't need right now."

"Who are these guys?" Auron wanted to know.

"They're the National Guard," the young woman sighed, "They're probably here because of the Al Bhed ship."

The soldiers trained their rifles on the group, and their CO shouted, "All right, everyone, put your hands in the air where I can see them."

"Damn it! This really sucks!" the sorceress griped as she raised her hands above her head.

The soldiers inched closer as the rest of the group, with the exception of Auron, followed Ria's lead. "Mister, I have to ask you to put that giant pig-sticker away," said one soldier, reaching for the katana as he spoke.

"You'll take this 'pig-sticker' when I put it in your gut," was the guardian's response.

"Jesus Christ! Auron, you IDIOT! Do you really want to get shot that badly?" Ria shrieked.

He gave her an amused glance. "One of these days, you'll have to tell me who this 'Jesus Christ' person is."

"Then she'll have to explain it in the Afterlife, because you're about two seconds away from death, if you don't put that sword down!" snarled the CO.

Suddenly, a series of loud thumping noises and a mechanical whirring sound approached the group followed by a voice shouting in Al Bhed. /Look out! Runaway machina!/

A large, insect-like robot stormed down the walkway, sparking erratically and flailing its many arms wildly about. "Oh no, the Scrapper must have started malfunctioning again," Jirru groaned.

"The Scrapper?" Bob shouted, covering his non-existent ears against the sounds of the soldiers' gunfire.

The group used the distraction to run away from the battle, and as they fled, the Al Bhed woman explained, "The Scrapper is a machina that we created for heavy lifting and battling large fiends, but it hasn't been working properly."

"Hey, there's the boat," O'aka wheezed. "Boy, I'm really out of shape."

There was another boat sitting next to the one O'aka, Jirru, and Raddi arrived on, and several frantic Al Bhed were in a state of panic. /Jirru, the Scrapper's gone insane!/ a young girl yelled.

/I know, but we don't have time for that now! We have to get back to the ship and get out of here!/ She turned her attention to Ria. " I guess you can come with us."

"What about Shadow and Snow?" the sorceress asked as she, Bob, and Auron climbed into one of the boats.

"Who?"

"The chocobos!"

"Leave them, they'll be all right."

"Waaarrrk!" Shadow squawked, indignant at the thought of being left behind.

Both birds leaped off the edge of the dock, rapidly flapping their tiny wings, and barely made it into the escaping boats. Snow lowered her head until she was face-to-face with Jirru. "Wark! Warrrk waaaarrrrrrkkk!" she chirped angrily.

"All right, I'm sorry I tried to leave you behind," the Al Bhed apologized.

Satisfied, the chocobos settled down as everyone watched the continuing battle dwindle in the distance.

A few hours later, everyone, including Snow and Shadow, got on board the salvage vessel, and they headed out to the open waters of the Atlantic. "I hope you're happy," Raddi said in broken English.

"Why, whatever do you mean?" Ria responded in a sickly sweet tone.

"We're going back to Spira, and Rin will probably want his money back."

"I'm sure everything will be okay," she said, patting the man on the cheek.

The young woman wandered around on the deck until she saw Auron standing at the prow of the ship. He was staring out at the ocean, and occasionally taking a drink from the white jug that he kept at his hip. "I see you're enjoying yourself," the guardian said, not looking at her.

"It's my first time on the ocean," she replied.

He didn't respond, but took another pull on whatever was in his jug. "What's the matter?" Ria asked, concerned about her friend's behavior.

"Nothing."

"Don't give me that nonsense. I know something's bothering you, and you know that I won't leave you alone until you tell me what it is."

"You're an infuriating woman, did you know that?" was his blunt reply.

"Yeah, I am, but stop trying to change the subject. What's wrong?"

"Why does it matter?"

"You harassed me all the way to Sunrise Cove, telling me that I needed to share my grief over my family, so now I'm returning the favor," she said, her voice taking on an edge.

"This is different."

"You're right: you're angry about something and I was sad. It doesn't matter, though, because both will eat you alive, if you let them."

"Fine! I'm upset because I almost killed you! There, are you satisfied?" Anger flashed in his eye.

"But that wasn't you're fault! I already told you that."

"That doesn't change anything. I still tried to kill you."

Ria shook her head. "No, you tried to kill Yunalesca. If you had really tried to kill me, then I would be dead now."

Auron gaped at her, totally lost for words. He stared at her and said, "I hate to admit it, but you're right."

"That's okay, everyone loses sometimes," she stopped and eyed the jug suspiciously. "What are you drinking?"

He handed it to her, and she carefully sniffed at the contents. "Oh, gross! Auron, that smells like sake!" she cried, wrinkling her nose.

"So?"

"So, what are you, an alcoholic?"

He chuckled and shook his head, but said nothing. Bob walked up to the two of them and said, "Hey, Jirru says that we'll be close to Spira in about a day or so."

"I wonder…" Ria trailed off thoughtfully.

"About what?" the Tonberry wanted to know.

The sorceress looked down at him and replied, "I wonder if I'll actually be able to set foot on Spira."

"What are you talking about?" the little fiend was confused.

"You know how that guy in Sunrise said that the land vanished whenever anyone got too close? Well, I'm thinking that maybe you guys will vanish, and I'll just be lost at sea when we get there."

Auron laid a hand on her shoulder and said, "Don't worry about it."

The ship traveled for several more hours, until early the next morning, when a thick fog obscured everyone's vision. "What is this? What's going on?" Ria asked, not really expecting an answer.

The crew muttered things about terrible omens under their breath and the chocobos shuffled nervously. Then a terrible roar was heard as a shaft of light erupted from the water and blew the ship to pieces. Ria fell overboard, along with everything else that wasn't instantly vaporized. As she sank beneath the waves, dazed, she saw what had attacked and destroyed the Al Bhed salvage vessel. It was large and emerald green, and its four eyes glowed blue and yellow. The creature looked like something that would be born if nature and technology melded into one seamless whole. The giant fiend, apparently satisfied, turned and swam away, jets of bubbles chuffing out of two holes in its back. As the young woman drifted into unconsciousness, her last thought was, _"Oh great…I go through all of that mess just to die at sea…"_

Hey, hey, hey! Don't worry, I'm not killing her off, so all you can stop threatening me with those Whiffleball bats! (Angry mob puts away their weapons) Anyway, I hope you liked my rendition of Emerald Weapon, and be sure to tune in for the next exciting episode. (Yes, I know that was corny)


	10. Ch 10 Bikanel Island

First, I would like to thank Insane Child of the Night and DarkmoonswolfKocora2300 for reviewing, along with good ol' Chaka. In case anyone was wondering, the monster at the end of chapter 9 was supposed to be Emerald Weapon. (Remember, I did say that I was adding a few things from FFVII and VIII for a little flavor.) Sadly, Sin is NOT returning, and I cannot tell you why because it would give away the plot. Anyway, here's a new chapter.

Chapter 10: Bikanel Island

Wes was in a state of panic. The fayth saw his sister lying facedown in the ocean, and she was not moving. _"Ria! Ria, can you hear me?"_ was his frantic call.

When she did not respond, he shifted himself into the plane of existence that had many names, but known best as Purgatory: the realm that divided Life and Death. It was there that Wes found her, drifting lost in the darkness, unaware, but not yet dead. _"Ria, hold on, I'll go get help."_

The fayth returned to the living world, where he scoured the shoreline of the unfamiliar island, hoping that he could find the others. His persistence was rewarded, and he found Auron lying in the ivory sand, with Bob standing next to him attempting to wake him up. _"Auron, you have to wake up!"_ Wes implored, his voice pleading. _"Ria is going to die if you don't help her."_

Bob looked up in surprise. "Where is she?" the Tonberry demanded. "Wes, where is Ria?"

Her brother pointed at her lifeless form floating not far from the shore. _"She's out there, but I can't help her because I don't have a physical form anymore. Damn it, Auron, wake up!"_

Wes aimed a kick at the guardian's ribcage, but his ghostly foot just floated through and did nothing. _"Bob, stab him with your knife,"_ he commanded.

"What? How is that going to help Ria?" the little fiend stared at him incredulously.

_"You don't have to kill him; just stick him so he'll wake up."_

"If you say so," Bob shrugged, taking Auron's left hand. "You DO know that he's probably going to hit me for this, don't you?"

The Tonberry Prince poked the swordsman's palm just hard enough to draw blood, and then quickly backed out of reach. "Wes told me to do it," he quickly explained when Auron gave him a murderous look.

The fayth immediately placed himself face-to-face with the guardian. _"We don't have time for this, now,"_ he said, biting off the words as he spoke. _"Get off your sword-swinging ass and save my sister!"_

Auron looked to where Wes was pointing, and hurried into the water. He managed to get Ria up onto the shore without too much difficulty, but when he turned her over onto her back, he saw that her face was ashen and she wasn't breathing. "She's not breathing, Wes," he said, his voice full of anguish.

_"Quick, use CPR,"_ answered the fayth.

"C…P…what?"

Wes sighed in exasperation. _"Tilt her head back, pinch her nose shut, put your mouth on hers, and blow!"_

When Auron gave him a doubtful look, the young man bellowed, _"If you don't do what I say, right now, I swear to God that I'll sic Alexander on you! Save her, damn it!"_

The swordsman did as he was told, and breathed into her once, but it had no discernible effect. _"Try it again,"_ Wes told him, his voice brooking no argument.

He tried it again, breathing into her once more, then again as she failed to respond. Meanwhile, Bob's round yellow eyes filled with tears as he prayed, "Let her be all right! Oh, please wake up, Ria!"

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Ria coughed and spat out a rather large amount of water. "Auron, you did it!" cheered the Tonberry.

Wes smiled and said, _"Thank you. This means more to me than you could ever know."_

Auron inclined his head and returned the smile as the fayth vanished once more. "Ria, are you all right?" he asked, turning his attention back to the sorceress, who finally stopped coughing.

"No…of course not…" she croaked before passing out again.

"Ria? Come on, we can't stay here," said the guardian, shaking her.

When she didn't move, Bob reached inside one of the sleeves of his robe and pulled out a small bottle filled with what appeared to be a sparkling red-gold dust. "Here," the little fiend said, handing it to Auron, "Sprinkle some of this on her face."

"A Phoenix Down? Where did you get this?"

"I found it."

When the swordsman stared at him, the little fiend relented. "Okay, okay! I stole it from O'aka back on the ship," he admitted. "Anyway, use it on Ria so she'll wake up."

Auron sprinkled the contents of the bottle over the young woman, and she sat up as suddenly as if someone slapped her in the face. "What the hell was that? What did you just do to me?" she gasped, her eyes wide with shock. "It feels like I just swallowed a bolt of lightning!"

"Phoenix Downs have that effect on people," he explained as Bob rolled on the ground, overcome by laughter.

"Ha, ha, very funny, Bob!" she muttered. "Anyway, where are we?"

Auron looked around for a few moments and finally replied, "I think we're on Bikanel Island."

At her confused look, he said, "We've landed on Spira."

"Good. That means we're getting closer to our goal." Ria scrambled to her feet, but stumbled and almost fell. "Well, that wasn't very smart of me," she said, wincing as a wave of dizziness threatened to fell her.

Her guardian handed her a Potion and chuckled, "You haven't fully recovered from your brush with death."

"I almost died?"

"Yeah," said Bob, "And if Wes hadn't told Auron how to use kissy-face magic on you, then you'd be gracing the Farplane now."

"That's NOT what it's called! He called it CPR, not what you just said," the swordsman was actually embarrassed.

"Aw, I got kissed and I missed it? What a shame," Ria grinned as she finished off her Potion. "Auron, if you wanted a kiss that badly, then you should've said something, instead of sneaking around like that." Her eyes twinkled wickedly as she spoke.

She winked once and walked away, leaving him and Bob standing on the shore: the fiend was laughing hysterically and the guardian's mouth was hanging open. "That's not what happened!" he spluttered.

"I know," she replied, "I was just messing with you, that's all. Besides, I'd much rather have you sneaking kisses than trying to grab my ass." She smiled again as he smacked his forehead and sighed.

A little while later, the three of them were walking through the desert, with Auron in the lead. Where, exactly, he was taking them had not yet been revealed, so finally Bob decided that he needed to know. "All right," the little fiend said, stopping and planting his feet firmly on the ground in an attempt to look intimidating, "Where are you taking us?"

"Do we really need to discuss this now?" the swordsman wanted to know.

"Yes. I'm not moving until we do, and Ria's not going to let you just leave me out here."

"We're going to the Home," he shortly replied.

"Is that like the nuthouse or something?" Ria was curious.

"No, it's where the Al Bhed live, or did, until it was blown up when the Guado invaded."

"If it was destroyed, then why are we trying to find it?" Bob asked.

"Because the Al Bhed are more than likely trying to rebuild it!" Auron shouted impatiently. "Now, can we go, or do you want to ask me some more irritating questions?"

"Well, excuse me for living!" the little fiend retorted.

They continued their journey, and it seemed like various fiends were dogging every step of the way. First, a flock of small birds attacked, but Ria managed to dispatch them with an accidental Firaga spell that she had used while trying to use Cure on Auron, attacked the three of them. "What the hell is wrong with my magic?" she muttered to herself.

"Have you been practicing?" asked the guardian.

"It's kind of hard to do so, when everyone and their brother keeps popping up out of nowhere, trying to kill me," she answered.

Next, a pair of doglike creatures assaulted them, but they were killed without mishap, and those were the last fiends that the three of them spotted for some time. A little while later, however, proved to be more aggravating than anything else that happened to them that day.

Auron, Ria, and Bob decided to take a break in the shade of some ancient ruins, when they heard an odd giggling coming from behind a collapsed pillar. "What was that?" the sorceress whispered, eyeing the structure suspiciously.

Suddenly, a little green creature popped out of hiding. It was about the same size as Bob, but looked more than anything like a tiny cactus person. "Wow, it's so cute," said Ria.

"It's a Cactuar," Auron explained, "It'll either try to fight us or run away."

It made some kind of announcement in an odd language that the two humans did not understand, but seemed to be perfectly clear to the Tonberry. "He says that we're surrounded and that we won't be harmed if we surrender peacefully," Bob told his companions.

"Surrounded, huh?" was the swordsman's response.

"Yes," the Tonberry replied as another ten or twelve giggling cacti appeared behind them.

One Cactuar separated from the rest of the group and approached Bob, gesticulating wildly and speaking in its bizarre language. "Oh, George! Wow, I haven't seen you in ages," the little fiend exclaimed. "How've you been?"

George spoke, and Bob nodded and said, "Yeah, I kind of got lost when everything went all funky, but these two were nice enough to offer me a lift home."

The Tonberry turned to Ria and Auron and introduced them to his friend. "George, this is Auron, and the nice lady is Ria. You guys, this is my friend, George. Go on, say hello. Don't worry, he understands human language."

"Why are we being captured?" Auron demanded.

George made an unintelligible reply that ended with a giggle. "He says that Lobo was exaggerating, and that we shouldn't mind him," Bob translated.

Ria asked, "Well, if we aren't being captured, then what do you want with us?"

"Marne wants to see us?" the little fiend gave his friend a curious look. "You mean Lady Marne? As in the leader of Cactuar Hollow?"

The Cactuar made a rather long speech, and the Tonberry nodded gravely, and turning to Ria and Auron, said, "I have to go renew the treaty between the Cactuar and Tonberry Nations. George said that Marne wants you two there as witnesses, so you have to come, too."

"And if we refuse?" asked the guardian.

Lobo, the first Cactuar, pointed his arm and fired off several needles into the sand next to Ria's foot. "Lobo says it's not a request," Bob translated.

The Cactuars escorted the three of them to a dusty hollow filled with normal cacti. "This is Cactuar Hollow," their translator announced. "We Tonberries and Cactuars have been allies and friends for as long as anyone can remember, and each heir to the crowns of our respective people is, by law, required to venture to each other's lands and renew our treaties."

"I didn't know that fiends had such things," Auron said, surprise evident on his face.

"Yeah, we try to keep that kind of thing a secret, but as far as I know, only my kind and the Cactuars have any kind of real intelligence," Bob explained. "Well, there are some who think that the Malboros may have some kind of social hierarchy, but I digress."

George piped up and said something to a large, ancient-looking cactus, and the plant actually responded in the same tongue. "What did she say?" Ria asked Bob.

"She says that she's glad to see that we all made it here safely," he replied.

"Speaking of which, how is it that you were unharmed, Bob?" the sorceress inquired.

The Tonberry wagged his tail at her. "This fin isn't just for looks, you know. If it weren't for the fact that we're so short, and that most humans are afraid of us, then we Tonberries would be great at blitzball."

Marne said something in the Cactuar language, and Bob responded, "Yes, my lady, I am ready to renew the treaty."

The Tonberry Prince stepped forward and solemnly raised his knife and lantern. "By the knife, and by the lamp," he intoned, "By these things that the Tonberry Nation hold sacred, I, Prince Bob do hereby renew the ancient treaty between our peoples. Let my knife be sharp to guard you, and may my lamp be bright to light your way."

With that said, the Cactuars filled the valley with cheers, but the celebration was short-lived. Out of nowhere, the earth began to rumble, and the largest Sand Worm ever seen in the Bikanel Desert erupted to the surface. The massive fiend let out a thunderous roar and thrashed wildly about, trying to catch one of the Cactuars, but they proved too nimble for it to handle. "Can we go now?" Auron asked Bob.

"We could, but that big worm is blocking our path," was the little fiend's mild response.

Finally, Auron's temper frayed, and then snapped. "Move, now!" was his blunt command to the Cactuars, who impeded his progress.

The Sand Worm, sensing what it thought to be an easy meal, slowly advanced on the swordsman. Auron pulled out his katana and charged at the fiend, swinging the great blade like a baseball bat, and stuck the Worm with all of his strength. Ria, Bob, and the Cactuars all watched in silent awe as the guardian's blow connected and the giant fiend sailed quickly out of sight. "Does anyone else want to get in my way?" he demanded, his voice surly.

Wide-eyed, everyone in Cactuar Hollow shook his or her heads in a mute negative, and Auron shouldered his sword and said, "Good, let's go then."

Bob quickly said his good-byes to George, and he and Ria followed their ally out of the valley. "Ria, the next time I get the urge to harass that man, smack me, okay?" the Tonberry asked her.

The young woman nodded in agreement, but "God almighty!" was her only fervent response.

"Ria?"

"Yes?"

"What is this 'God' you keep talking about?"

"Never mind."

Meanwhile, several hundred miles away, a pair of chocobos, one black and one white, washed up on another shore. At first, it seemed like they were dead, but when the white one got to its feet, anyone who saw them quickly forgot that notion. The ivory chocobo ruffled its feathers, then nudged its ebon counterpart. The two of them looked around, taking in their surroundings with their intelligent sapphire-blue eyes, and then headed northward, searching for the companions that they had come to think of as members of their flock.

You didn't REALLY think that I was going to kill off Snow and Shadow, did you? Oh, and by the way: no, Ria is NOT a religious person, she just likes to use God and Jesus a lot. I thought that it might be fun to use Shooting Star in this story at least one time, and I just had to harass the living hell out of Auron. Anyway, keep those reviews coming and I'll keep on writing.


	11. Ch 11 Another Ally

At this time, I would like to give my thanks to Chaka, Insane Child, Gunbunny1, and Valex for reviewing. Yes, Valex, I am evil, and sometimes a little dense, but I try to avoid being a hypocrite. I do admit that I could have chosen a better word than 'harass'. How about 'tease'? I do like to tease people sometimes…kind of like right now! (Smiles sweetly and pokes Auron and Valex in the ribs, while Bob giggles) Moreover, I really DO love Auron, as much as one can love a fictitious character without being put under psychiatric evaluation. Anyway, here's the new chapter.

Chapter 11: Another Ally

After the whole incident with the Sand Worm, Ria and Bob decided that it was best not to say anything to Auron until his temper cooled. They traveled in silence for a few minutes, until a strange girl confronted them. She was short and slender, with long golden hair, tawny skin, and an Asian cast to her features. Her green eyes had spiral-pupils, and they went wide with astonishment once she spotted Auron. "Auron…but how? I thought you were off in the Farplane?" was the stranger's shocked question.

The swordsman chuckled softly. "It's nice to see you, too."

"Who is that?" Ria asked as the girl happily trotted toward them.

"This is Rikku. She's the daughter of the Al Bhed leader, Cid," he explained.

The sorceress smiled and said, "It's nice to meet you, Rikku. My name's Ria, and…"

"And I'm Bob," the Tonberry cheerfully interrupted, waving at the Al Bhed girl.

"Wow, you guys befriended a fiend? He's cute!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, we're letting him tag along until we can get him home," Auron replied with a slight smile.

"Hey, you know that you couldn't POSSIBLY survive without me!" Bob retorted.

"Oh, I'm sure that our fate rested on having you snore like a passing thunderstorm every night."

"You just don't appreciate me," the little fiend sighed as the two girls laughed.

Auron turned his attention back to Rikku and gave her a long, penetrating look. "I know that you didn't come out here just for idle chit-chat. What else do you want?"

She laughed, rather nervously, and replied, "You know how when we defeated Sin, the fayth vanished, right?"

When he nodded, she continued, "Well, when they vanished, Tidus did, too, and Yuna didn't really handle it all that well, and…"

"And?"

"And now nobody knows where she is," she finished.

"Yuna's the summoner you told me about, right?" Ria asked Auron.

"Yes, she is," he answered. "Rikku, do you have any idea where she might have gone?"

The Al Bhed girl sadly shook her head. "No, I don't, and I've been trying to convince Dad to let me borrow the Airship to go look for her, since the Celsius isn't finished yet, but he wants to use it for the battle."

"The Celsius?" Bob looked confused.

Rikku's face lit up. "Yeah! We've been working on a new airship. Come on, I'll show you."

They followed Rikku to the ruins of the Home, and what they saw there was nothing short of amazing. The Al Bhed were rebuilding their fortress with the aid of numerous machina, and had made a great deal of progress in doing so. "I see that you're not impressed," Auron said when he saw Ria's impassive expression.

The young woman shrugged. "We do things in a similar manner back on Earth, so I'm used to it."

A heavily tattooed man with overalls and a blond Mohawk stepped out from under what appeared to be the hull of some kind of vessel. "Rikku, where have you been?" he yelled in heavily accented English. "You were supposed to be helping build the Celsius!"

Rikku pointed at the hull and sighed, "This is the Celsius. As I said: it's not finished yet."

Ria frowned. "Maybe it's none of my business, but what were you saying about a battle earlier?"

"Rikku! Why have you brought a fiend in here?" the Mohawk man asked, eyeing Bob with suspicion.

The newcomer made as if he was going to attack the Tonberry, until he found the fiend's knifepoint poking him in the stomach. "Don't touch me, unless you want to spend the rest of your life carrying your guts in a bucket," Bob told his would-be captor.

"Brother, that's my new friend, Bob. Don't worry, my idiot brother won't do anything, I promise," Rikku told the Tonberry.

"He'd better not try," he muttered darkly, while putting his knife away.

"ANYWAY," Ria loudly interjected, "What battle were you talking about, Rikku?"

"Oh, that? Well, there's a large fiend hanging out in the desert, and it comes and attacks us sometimes, so Dad wants to use the Airship to fight it," she explained.

Then a bald man with a dark beard and a yellow jumpsuit walked up and said, "Are you talking about Ruby?"

"Pops, you NAMED it?" Rikku was incredulous.

"I got tired of referring to it as 'the fiend'," Cid replied, waving his hand dismissively.

"So you decided to call it Ruby? Nice name," Auron replied.

"Thanks. Anyway, Ruby has been popping up out of the sand, and it attacks anything that it can reach. I want to use the Airship to fly around it, and launch missiles at it while it's above ground."

"Does it fly?" the guardian wanted to know.

"No, of course not."

"Then why do you want to fight this thing as if it were Evrae?"

"Ruby likes to use this trick that makes the sand swallow anything, or anyone, it chooses, so we have to fight it from the air," Cid replied, his voice taking on a hint of frustration.

"But Dad!" Rikku cried, "We need to use the Airship so we can go find Yunie! What if she tries to go to Zanarkand?"

"Wait, what's been going on in Zanarkand?" asked Auron.

The Al Bhed girl looked at him and said, "That's where all the corrupted pyreflies came from. They started showing up about a month ago, and everything has been going wrong here in Spira ever since."

"That's about the same time the fiends started showing up on Earth, too," Ria said, but everyone ignored her.

"We need to use your Airship, Cid," the swordsman said to the Al Bhed leader.

"Sorry, but I need it more," he stubbornly replied, folding his arms in front of his chest.

"The fate of Spira is at stake."

"Well, Spira will have to wait until I'm finished, then."

Things went downhill quickly after that, with Auron, Rikku, and Cid all trying to shout louder than everyone else. Bob covered his ears to drown out the noise, while Ria kept trying to get everyone's attention. Finally, the young woman's patience caved in.

"SHUT UP!" she bellowed, her voice echoing off the rafters.

Everyone stopped and stared at her in complete disbelief as the sorceress finally gave vent to her rage. "SHUT UP, GODDAMNIT, EVERYONE SHUT THE HELL UP!"

When she was sure that everyone was listening, she modified her voice. "Now, everyone will listen to me," she hissed, her tone foreboding. "The next one of you that says ANYTHING, even if it's to tell me that I've just been elected 'Queen of the Friggin' Universe', is going to get blasted into oblivion!"

As if to emphasize her point, tiny flames appeared in the air around her. "I have had enough of this! I've been shot at, nearly drowned, almost chopped into pieces, nearly burnt to a crisp, nearly eaten, AND zombies killed my family! I think that I have been pretty damn patient up until now and NOW you stupid bastards want to get into a pissing contest? AW HELL NO!"

Ria then went into a long tirade that included the sexual appetites of everyone in the room, their ancestors, and their probable descendants. As she yelled, her language became increasingly obscene. Finally, she spat out an oath vile enough to make a sailor flinch, and a crack of thunder punctuated it. As suddenly as it began, her violent tantrum subsided, and the little flames vanished. "Now, do you people want to be reasonable, or am I going to have to get nasty?" she asked.

"Are you sure she's not a fiend?" Cid asked Auron.

Before the guardian could reply, the ground began to shake, and an earsplitting roar pierced the air. /It's coming! Ruby is coming!/ one panicked Al Bhed shouted.

"Damn, I was hoping we would have more time," Cid growled under his breath. He turned to Ria and asked, "Are you willing to help us?"

She shrugged, "Will you take us to this Zanarkand place?"

He gave her a steady look. "I'll take you anywhere you want, if you'll help us get rid of this fiend."

"What do you think?" she asked Auron.

"We might as well do it," was his response.

"Can we hurry it up, then, because I think it's getting closer," Bob said, as the earthquakes became more violent.

"Let's go, then," shouted Cid.

Everyone boarded the Airship, and as it took off, the fiend finally erupted out of the sand and let out a terrible noise that was half roar and half scream. Ruby was several stories tall, with a long neck and arms, and covered in blood-red armor. It, like the fiend in the sea, looked like a melding of science and nature, and its eyes were just as pitiless. "Oh, great!" Rikku groaned. "Now I have to fight that thing!"

Auron gave her an amused glance, "No one forced you to come along, you know."

"If I didn't come, then you would just leave me here, and I wouldn't be able to look for Yunie!" the girl retorted.

All right, that's all you get for now. If the language in this chapter seems kind of stilted, it's because I wanted to keep it PG-13, and I had to delete a lot of the cuss words that popped up when I originally wrote it. I apologize for that, but I really didn't want to have to change the rating. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to your new reviews.


	12. Ch 12 Ruby's Treasure

At this time, I would like to go ahead and thank Chaka and Insane Child for reviewing, and I would like to say that I'm glad that everyone enjoys my story so much. I'm also glad that you understand why I edited Ria's tirade. Well, you've all been patient, so here's the next chapter.

Chapter 12: Ruby's Treasure

Bob stood close to a garbage can near one of the windows on the Airship. The Tonberry had begun sweating profusely when the ship took off, and now he trembled violently and his face turned an unhealthy greenish-gray color. Ria and Rikku watched the little fiend with extreme concern on their faces. "Bob are you okay?" the Al Bhed asked him.

"Who, me?" he squeaked, "Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?"

The ship lurched, and Bob stuck his head in the trashcan, vomiting noisily. Ria rubbed his back and asked, "Are you airsick? I didn't know you suffered from something like that."

When he finished, he looked up at her. "I'm a cave-dweller, so when I see all that empty air beneath me, I…"

The Tonberry started throwing up again, and Auron sighed. "Why don't you just stay here? The girls and I will go handle Ruby."

Rikku nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it'll be all right Bob."

Ria said nothing, but gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, and she, Rikku, and Auron went to the deck of the ship. When they arrived, Cid's voice blared through the loudspeaker. "All right, we're gonna have to take this baby in passes, because the Airship doesn't turn quickly. You'll only have one chance to hit it during a pass, so make your attacks count."

"Right, Pops!" Rikku replied.

The Airship began to make low circles around the monster Cid named Ruby, and the battle began. The Al Bhed girl pulled several small, round objects from her belt pouch and lobbed them over the side, where they exploded with bright bursts. Meanwhile, Ria cast various elemental spells in rapid succession, but Ruby absorbed them all. "Ice, Lightning, and Wind: it's eating ALL of them!" the sorceress moaned.

"Then try a non-elemental spell," Auron suggested, attempting to strike the fiend, but missing.

"You didn't tell me about any non-elemental spells, Auron," she snapped.

"Just use Flare, or Ultima," Rikku shouted, tossing another grenade.

Before Ria could respond, however, Ruby lashed out with its long arms, catching the Airship with its tripartite claws. Cid gave the order, and the vessel unleashed a salvo of missiles at the fiend, but the huge beast still hung on. "Damn!" swore the Al Bhed leader. "You guys hurry up and get that leech off my ship!"

The three of them cautiously approached it, but Ruby shrieked and belched out a great wave of flame as the Airship slowly dragged it across the desert sands. The monster screamed again, and actually attempted to climb the side of the ship. The Airship shuddered violently and leaned to one side, threatening to fall from the sky. Auron swung his katana and chopped off one of the offending claws with a resounding crack. "We have to get rid of this thing before we crash," he shouted, plunging his blade into the floor in order to keep from falling off.

Unfortunately, Rikku slipped and started to slide across the deck, and when Ria tried to help the Al Bhed, so did she. The two girls tried to recover, but they had too much momentum, and they slid off the side of the Airship…right into Ruby's open mouth! "NO!" shouted the guardian, who helplessly watched the whole event with a look of undisguised horror.

"What happened?" Cid called.

"We just lost Ria and Rikku!"

The sorceress and the thief were in a state of near panic as Ruby swallowed the two of them. They were about halfway down its throat, when Rikku pulled out a pair of daggers and buried them in the sides of the monster's throat, finally stopping their descent. "Ria, we have to get out of here," she grunted when the sorceress landed on top of her.

Ria squirmed for a moment, trying to take some of the weight off her companion, and replied, "How? It's not like this thing has handholds, you know."

The Al Bhed girl struggled for a moment as she dropped a little further, and shouted, "I don't know…but you're not exactly a featherweight, and I don't think I'm going to be able to hold on for much longer…"

They were nearly deafened by another shriek, one of Rikku's daggers broke off at the hilt, and the girls found themselves sliding again. Panic finally overwhelmed them, and they as screamed, Ria's vision was flooded with emerald green light. "Oh…my…"she trailed off as a roaring sound filled her ears.

Auron stood on the deck of the Airship, filled with grief and anger at the loss of his friends. Ruby stared at him, lime-colored eyes flashing with malice, and the swordsman returned the hateful gaze. The fiend bellowed, its head thrashing wildly, and Auron pulled his blade/anchor from the floor, bracing himself as he did so. "You want me?" he asked belligerently. "Then come and get me, you son of a bitch!"

Suddenly, Ruby's head and neck exploded in a pulse of green light shot through with blue and purple flashes. Auron was thrown backward by the shockwave, and he nearly fell off the ship. He was sliding toward the edge, when the now-decapitated Ruby fell from its perch, freeing the Airship from its death spiral.

"You did it! You killed Ruby!" Cid's voice was triumphant.

"No, it wasn't me," Auron replied, getting to his feet when the ship righted itself.

The voice on the intercom went silent for a moment. "If it wasn't you, then who killed that thing?"

"Someone who can cast Ultima."

"But we don't have anyone who can do that."

They landed the Airship, and went to salvage what they could from Ruby's corpse before it turned into a pyrefly swarm. Bob, recovered now that he was on the ground, joined them. "I can't believe they're gone," the little fiend sobbed.

"They died helping save us all," Cid told him, "So they died as heroes."

Auron shot the Al Bhed leader a dirty look. "That doesn't change the fact that they're dead," he said flatly.

"Yeah, well so are you, and you're still here."

"I really don't know about that anymore," he replied, looking away.

Cid, Auron, Brother, who was weeping uncontrollably, and Bob arrived at the spot where the fiend had fallen, and found something unexpected. Ruby's body collapsed into pyreflies, which pulsed with hatred and disappeared, and left Rikku and Ria lying in the sand. They were bruised, battered, and covered in slime, but they were definitely alive. "Rikku! Ria! I thought you both had died?" Auron shouted, while Bob whooped with joy, and Brother fainted.

"It was a very near thing," Ria replied, while Cid tearfully caught Rikku in a crushing embrace.

"Pop, you're squeezing my liver!" the thief wheezed.

"Oh, I thought I lost you, girl," her father wept.

"Hey, what's that?" Bob suddenly asked.

Everyone, except Brother, looked in the direction the Tonberry was pointing. A sparkle caught Ria's eye and she picked up the unusual object. It looked like an eagle's wing feather, but it was a vivid sunset orange. When the sorceress waved the feather, golden sparks drifted off it and floated away on the breeze. "It's beautiful," she reverently whispered.

"You should keep it, Ria," said Rikku.

"Me?"

"Why not? If you hadn't used Ultima, then we'd be dead now."

Ria shook her head. "Yeah, but if you hadn't used your daggers to slow us down, then we'd have died before I could do anything. Besides, I only cast it by accident. If I'd tried to do it on purpose, I probably would have cast Quake, or something."

Auron watched them both for a moment, and said, "Ria, you keep it. You defeated Ruby, so by all rights, it's your treasure."

"All right," she surrendered, putting the strange feather in her hair. "I'll keep it here until I can get a bag to carry things in."

They revived Brother and went back to the Home, where the Al Bhed had a celebration for the heroes. "Don't forget your promise," Ria said to Cid, a little while later. "You said that you would take us to Zanarkand if we helped you out, and I expect you to keep you word."

Rikku's father nodded. "Yeah, I'll take you tomorrow, but right now we're gonna celebrate!"

I had this battle stewing around in my mind for a while, and now I've finally written it! So review, and tell me what you think. Oh, and in case you're wondering, I used the "Armageddon" theory on explosions in enclosed places for the whole Ultima thing. Anyway, see you next time.


	13. Ch 13 Encounter

As usual, I give Chaka and Insane Child my thanks for being such regular reviewers. Also, I'd like to say welcome back to Kiki, and tip my hat to XMaster for such a nice review. (Bob appears and does a happy dance) It feels really good to know that you all like my work so much. Sadly, I can't tell you what the feather is for, just that it's important. Well, here's the next chapter.

Chapter 13: Encounter

"Rikku, was it really necessary to change your outfit?" Ria asked the thief. "You almost got left behind, you know."

Before they left, Rikku changed from her usual pink top and skimpy shorts to a yellow bikini, an orange scarf, a khaki micro-skirt, and a pair of blue and white boots. She had also equipped a pair of odd-looking red daggers and a belt pouch that strapped across her hips. "Yeah, I know, but that other outfit was old, and I needed a change."

"Next time, we'll just leave you behind," Auron told her, irritated at the delay.

"That's just because you're a big meanie," the Al Bhed retorted.

"Could you two PLEASE stop fighting?" Bob's voice was plaintive. "My head hurts and I…I…"

The little Tonberry blanched, no mean feat for a green-skinned creature, and vomited noisily into the nearest garbage can. The four of them were riding in the Airship, on their way to Zanarkand, and Bob was prone to violent airsickness. "Don't worry, Bob," Ria said, patting the fiend on the shoulder, "We'll get to Zanarkand soon, and you won't have to fly anymore."

Suddenly, a red light started flashing and a loud alarm buzzed, nearly deafening the passengers. "Pop, what is that?" Rikku cried, covering her ears in pain.

Cid turned to Brother and barked something in Al Bhed that Ria did not understand. The tattooed pilot chuckled nervously and replied in the same language. "WHAT? You IDIOT!" the thief shrieked.

"Rikku, I'm not very fluent in Al Bhed, so what did he say?" Ria asked her friend.

"That dingbat brother of mine forgot to refuel the ship!"

"So, what are we going to do now?"

"We're gonna have to head back to Bikanel Island," was Cid's terse response.

"We don't have time for that," Auron growled.

The Al Bhed leader gave him a jaundiced stare. "It's either that, or crash, and then it won't matter now will it?"

Ria sighed and asked, "Well, can you drop us off somewhere?"

"I suppose I could drop all of you off at the nearest city, but…" he thoughtfully replied.

Auron gave him a hard look. "But?"

"The closest one is Bevelle, and you didn't exactly make yourselves popular the last time you were there."

"Dad that all happened back when Yevon was still in power. Nobody will care about that now," Rikku told him.

Cid shrugged. "Suit yourselves."

St. Bevelle, once the heart of the Church of Yevon, was now full of political turmoil since the maesters fell from power. The city had become a place of commerce, and people were busily shopping, and ignoring the warrior monks that still patrolled the streets. "This place has changed a lot since the last time we were here," Auron said, looking around with interest.

"Yeah, but the last time we were here, we were trying to stop Yunie from marrying Seymour," Rikku cheerfully replied.

"Hey, Auron, didn't you tell me that you used to be a warrior monk?" Ria asked as they passed a patrol.

"Yes, but that was a long time ago," he replied, not looking at her.

The thief poked him in the ribs. "You might as well go ahead and tell her that you only left because you got in trouble with the High Priest for refusing to marry his daughter."

"How would you know?" he snapped. "You were only a child when I left with Jecht and Braska."

"Tidus found one of his dad's spheres when we went on the pilgrimage, and that was recorded on it."

Bob giggled, and the guardian turned to glare at him and Ria. "What? Did you have something you wanted to say?"

The Tonberry quickly scurried behind the sorceress' legs, and she returned the glare and coldly said, "Actually, I had no intention of saying anything. You're not my boyfriend, so I could care less if you want to go off and rekindle an old flame while we're here, but you don't need to take that tone with me."

"I…I'm sorry," he replied. "I didn't mean to snap at you."

"Hey, it's okay."

A low female voice came from behind them, and chuckled softly. "You found somebody with a temper like yours, I see."

The four of them turned around and a shapely woman in a long black dress was standing in the path. She was pale, with red eyes and elaborately coiffed dark hair and her dress had an unusual series of belt buckles on the front of the skirt. "Lulu!" Rikku cheered, happily hugging the strange woman.

Lulu chuckled again. "It's nice to see you, too."

Introductions were made, and then the former guardian asked them, "So, what brings you to Bevelle?"

"We're going to Zanarkand," Auron answered.

"Haven't you heard about what's been happening? About the corrupted pyreflies?" the mage was shocked.

"Yes, ma'am, that's why we're going," Ria replied.

She shook her head and turned to Rikku. "What about you?"  
"I'm going with them to look for Yunie. Didn't you know that she's gone missing?"

"Yes, and that's why I'm here, but if she's gone to Zanarkand, then we don't have any hope of finding her."

"Has it gotten THAT bad?" the thief looked worried.

"They shut down the shoopuf ferry at the Moonflow right after I crossed. The pyreflies there will attack anything that moves, now, and fiends that no one has ever seen before have showed up everywhere. I came up here to see if I could find Yuna, but it's no longer safe for anyone to travel alone."

"Didn't Wakka come with you?" Auron asked.

"He left Besaid before Yuna disappeared, saying that he was going to Mt. Gagazet for some extreme blitzball training, but we haven't heard from him, either."

"How long ago was that?"

"It was three months ago."

"Well, maybe we'll find him, too," said Ria.

"Maybe you will," the mage agreed, but then changed the subject. "Have you heard about the wild aeons?"

"Wild aeons? What are those?" Bob wanted to know.

"They're aeons that appear without the call of a summoner."

"But none of the summoners can call aeons anymore, Lulu. The fayth disappeared when Yu Yevon was defeated…didn't they?" Rikku's expression was concerned.

"Whoa, wait a minute!" Bob interrupted. "The fayth aren't gone. Wes is the fayth for the aeon Alexander, and Ria can call him."

Rikku and Lulu turned to the sorceress and stared at her with expressions of pure amazement. "Ria, I didn't know you were a summoner. I thought you were just a mage," the thief was astonished.

Ria looked away and closed her eyes. "I'm not a summoner…and I'm not very good mage, either. The fayth…Wes…is my younger brother. He became a fayth when our family died back on Earth."

The next hour or so was spent telling Lulu and Rikku about what happened before they came along. When the tale was finished, the mage's eyes were troubled. "So, Spira and Earth have become one place?"

"It seems so," Auron shrugged, "But Ria is the first Earth person that's been able to set foot on Spira, so I don't think the fusion is a complete one."

"But why would anyone want to stick two worlds together like that?" Rikku asked.

"Maybe they had a bunch of leftover Crazy Glue, and decided to put it to good use?" Bob replied, his eyes full of mischief.

The Al Bhed stuck her tongue out at the Tonberry. "Ha, ha! That was so funny I forgot to laugh!"

Lulu shook her head with disgust, and turned to Ria. "Do you have any idea as to who might be behind this?"

"We ran into O'aka a while back, and he said that there were some people who think that Maester Seymour Whatever is responsible," the young woman told her.

"Seymour Guado?" she gasped. "But he was sent to the Farplane!"

"As was I," Auron said, drawing his katana with a grim smile, "But we don't have time to discuss this now. Company is coming."

A crowd of panicked people surged past the group, running as fast as their legs would take them. On their heels was a swarm of fiends in all shapes and sizes, and they were out for blood. The warrior monks attempted to drive the horde back, but were relatively unsuccessful

The battle began in earnest when Bob started waving his little silver lantern, unleashing a chain of 'Karma' attacks in rapid succession, knocking a flock of flying eyeballs. Rikku, as nimble as a cat, sliced her way through several brightly colored lizards, stealing various items as she went. Auron, cool as always, dispatched a pair of large, dragon-like fiends with a strike that engulfed his blade in a wave of darkness, and turned his attention to a gray Sasquatch-type monster. Meanwhile, Lulu and Ria were casting their magics at several Bombs, with varying degrees of success.

"Don't you know how to properly use magic?" the black mage asked when Ria's spell misfired, soaking everything within ten feet.

"Hey, getting training is on my to-do list, okay?" the young woman responded. "Hey, watch out!"

Ria pushed Lulu out of the way just in time, as an enormous black dragon landed where the mage had been standing. The new attacker was covered in plate-like scales, and its four wings had what looked like hardened blue feathers. Behind the bizarre wings floated a golden wheel. The dragon's eyes burned a poisonous scarlet as the two mages backed away. "That's Bahamut, the Dragon Aeon," Lulu explained as she and Ria slowly stepped out of the creature's reach. "Something's not right, though. His colors are all wrong."

"Maybe we should run?" Ria suggested.

"Good idea."

The two of them ran from the transformed aeon, and passed up their friends as they went. "Hey, where are you two going?" Rikku shouted, finishing off a wolf as she did so.

"We're running from THAT!" Ria yelled, pointing at the dragon.

Bahamut roared and fired off a volley of dark energy blasts, and the shockwave knocked the women to the ground. "Does that thing absorb any elements?" the sorceress asked Lulu.

"No, why?"

"Just checking."

Ria waved her arms and shouted 'Holy', but a bolt of lightning rained from the empty sky and stuck the dragon instead. "Damn it, I really need to get some kind of training!" she swore under her breath.

"If we make if out of this alive, then I'll train you myself," Lulu told her.

Auron and Bob then joined the fray, sword and knife flashing as they stuck the heretic aeon simultaneously. Their attacks, however, were about as effective as the spell, which is to say, not very much. Suddenly, Bahamut dropped to all fours, and his wheel began to spin, charging up as it did so. The swordsman realized what was happening, and shouted, "Everyone run!"

They did as they were told, but Bob's legs were too short for him to run very fast, and when he tripped, Rikku went back to get him. When the thief picked up the Tonberry, however, it was too late, and the dragon fired a blast of coruscating energy at the two of them. Ria, not knowing what else to do, raised her arms to the sky and screamed, "WES!"

As if from nowhere, a flash of white snatched Rikku and Bob out of the way at the last moment, and a huge explosion obscured everyone's vision. When the smoke cleared, a crater lay in the middle of the street; however, the fiend and the thief were not there. Ria, Auron, and Lulu, hearing the sound of flapping wings, looked up and saw Alexander. His silver armor shining in the sun, the Holy Aeon slowly descended, and set down a very terrified Bob and Rikku.

Once the two of them were safely back on the ground, Alexander drew his crystal sword and launched himself at Bahamut, striking the dragon with reckless abandon. The two aeons took to the skies, trading blows and causing explosions that rocked the surrounding buildings to their foundations. Finally, Bahamut struck Alexander a severe blow with another dark burst, but the winged knight retaliated with a two-handed slash that left the dragon engulfed in gold-white flames. The two aeons fell from the sky, crashing to the street with a heavy thud. Neither of them moved for a moment, but then Alexander struggled to his feet, while Bahamut expired and collapsed into a cloud of the 'corrupted' pyreflies. The knight saluted the group, and faded away, leaving Wes floating in his place.

"Wes, are you all right?" Ria asked her brother.

_"Yes, I'll be fine, but Alexander is going to be out of commission for a while,"_ the fayth replied.

"What about Bahamut? Won't he come back?"

Wes shook his head. _"No, there's no fayth to support him, so he won't return."_

"How did he get here in the first place?" Auron asked him.

_"The dark force called him back from the Afterlife…the place you call the Farplane. That's all I know."_

Rikku looked at the spirit for a moment and said, "Thank you, Wes. If you hadn't come when you did, then Bob and I would've been goners."

_"You're welcome, Rikku. If only we had met when I was alive,"_ he sighed wistfully. _"If I were still alive, then I'd ask you out on a date."_

The Al Bhed girl giggled, blushing slightly, and Bob said, "I don't mean to sound ungrateful or anything, but next time, could you NOT fly with us?"

Wes howled with laughter at that, and soon everyone else joined him. Once they recovered, the fayth replied, _"I'll try to keep that in mind."_

He started to fade, but Ria called out to him. "Wait, I have to tell you something."

_"I can't stay much longer, so make it quick."_

She nodded. "I just wanted to say thank you, and that I miss you and the others every day."

Wes smiled and vanished, leaving the group standing in the now-deserted streets of Bevelle. "Well, what now?" Bob wondered. "Are we going to leave?"

Lulu shook her head. "No, you can't go just yet."

"Why? We have to leave as soon as possible," Auron told the mage.

"I know, but I promised Ria that I would train her in the use of her magic, and now's as good a time as any."

Woo-hoo! I finished Chapter 13! I know that some people were looking forward to the gang going to Zanarkand, but I don't want to make it too easy for them. Besides, how's Ria supposed to fight if her magic's not working properly? Anyway, review and let me know how I'm doing.


	14. Ch 14 Training

I'd like to say thank you to Chaka and Insane Child for reviewing again, along with LadyMercy, who has just reviewed for the first time. (Wild Cheers) In addition, I'd like to say that LadyMercy has a great fanfic that is well worth reading. Anyway, you've all waited for it, and now it's here: Ria's finally getting some training.

Chapter 14: Training

Lulu and Ria stood alone on the outskirts of Bevelle. The black mage promised to give the sorceress from Earth some training in her wayward magical abilities, and was now making good on that vow.

"Before we begin, I need to know if anyone else has tried to give you any training in your abilities," Lulu said, watching Ria carefully to gauge her answers.

The young woman looked up at the mage and replied, "Auron's been trying to help me."

"I see…" her teacher trailed off, red eyes thoughtful. "Auron is not a mage and Bob is a fiend, so neither one of them was able to show you what you needed to see before, correct?"

When Ria nodded, Lulu continued, "So what we need to do first is go back to the basics, and see what you do and do not know about magic. What has Auron told you about magic?"

"He told me that there are eight elements: Fire, Ice, Lightning, Water, Wind, Earth, Holy, and Gravity. He also told me that the pairs, like Fire and Ice, oppose each other, so when you battle a fiend that uses one kind of element, then you should use the one opposite of the enemy's magic," the young woman's eyes were tightly closed as she salvaged the memories of that night spent north of Mobile.

"Very good, but did he tell you about the non-elemental spells?"

Ria's eyes flew open at that. "No, he decided to spring it on me in the middle of a battle with a monster named Ruby. Rikku and I were nearly eaten before I accidentally pulled off an Ultima spell."

Lulu smacked her forehead and sighed, "Well, I guess that was to be expected, but the simple fact that you managed to use Ultima, even in your untrained state, shows that you have the potential to be a powerful mage."

"Lulu, can I ask you something before we get started?"

"What is it?"

"Why do I have magic anyway? I mean, I'm not from Spira, and the only magics we have on Earth are either trickery, or spells that don't really have any visible consequences." Ria balled her hands up in frustration. "And it's damned difficult to deal with this when it's something that you've never been acquainted with."

The mage didn't say anything at first, but finally answered, "No one really knows why anyone has magic, but I believe that it's a force that exists within us all. Fiends, people, plants…all of these things have at least a little bit of what we call 'magic' within them. It's just that the power emerges on its own in some, and has to be coaxed out in others. You and I are just members of the former, and I do understand where you're coming from: you've spent you're whole life as a normal person, and finally you have something, which by your world's laws, shouldn't exist dropped into your lap. Magic is a big responsibility, but I think that you are more than able to handle it."

The young woman grinned and said, "You know, you sound a lot like some of the Wiccan books that I used to read back home. They said the same thing about magic being in everything."

Lulu chuckled at that. "You see, Earth and Spira do have some things in common. Now let's get started."

A little while later, Ria, with Lulu's help, had gotten down the basics of consciously calling her magic. "Hey, it's kind of like I open and close a little door inside my head," Ria said when she finally dispersed her aura.

"It IS like that," Lulu agreed, as a creepy-looking Sahagin crawled out of the nearby river. "But now let's see you use your magic in battle."

The fishy fiend flung itself at the women, and Ria flicked her hand and shouted 'Thundara', instead of a bolt of lightning, a wave of flame exploded out of the ground and set the hem of Lulu's dress ablaze. "Oh, my God! Lulu, I'm SO sorry!" the sorceress shouted while dousing the burning skirt.

The black mage made a curt gesture, and this time a thunderbolt struck the Sahagin, killing it instantly. "What were you thinking? Don't you know how to aim…or call the right element?"

"Not really. I call the power, and it just sort of pops out," was Ria's sheepish reply.

"That's extremely dangerous! You could get, not just yourself, but your comrades killed doing things that way!"

The young woman hung her head. "I know…there's no excuse for it. Let me try again."

"No, we need to take a look at your problem from a different perspective. Let me ask you this: do you see colors whenever you call your magic?"

Ria fervently nodded. "Yes, I see all kinds of colors, but I didn't really think that it meant anything. Sometimes, I'll just see one color, but mostly it's one big jumble."

Lulu looked at her with unfeigned astonishment, but she quickly composed herself. "Okay, you already know about the names of the spells, but what you haven't been told is that all spells have colors."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Well, it's rare for a mage to be able to see the colors associated with the magic. For me, just the word of invocation is enough to make a spell work. I think the fact that you see the colors is the main reason why your spells have gone awry, but I'm going to help you with that right now."

They spent the next half hour discussing the various colors of the spells. In that time, Ria learned that the major colors were red, blue, purple, indigo, gold, silver, white, black, orange, and green. When she got that straight, Lulu asked her, "Are you ready to try it again?"

When Ria nodded, she said, "Good, because here comes another fiend."

This time, a huge beige and rose-colored bird flew toward the two mages, thinking that it had an easy meal. "That looks like a Zu," Ria said, watching the monster's approach.

"It's a cousin called a Garuda," Lulu explained. "Now show me what you've learned."

Ria closed her eyes, letting the image of the Garuda fill her mind, along with the color of the spell she wanted to cast. A fluorescent violet light filled her vision, and the sorceress raised her hand and shouted 'Thundaga'. Her efforts were rewarded, and a storm of bolts rained from the cloudless sky, striking down the monstrous bird. "Hell, YEAH!" she gleefully whooped as the fiend dissolved into a pyrefly swarm.

"Not bad," Lulu smiled, "But you'll still need to practice so that your speed will improve."

"Yes, ma'am," Ria replied before recommencing with her triumphant cheering.

The two of them reentered Bevelle, where they found Rikku chasing Bob up and down the street, while Auron watched the two with barely concealed amusement. "Ria, you're back!" Bob shouted, happily hugging the sorceress' legs when he saw that she'd returned.

"So, how did your training go?" Rikku asked, full of curiosity.

"I need to practice, but I think I'll be okay now," Ria replied.

Then Auron walked up to the group and gave the sorceress a long look. "Ria, I'm…happy for you," he said, with a sincere look on his face.

"Thank you," was her quiet response.

A little while later, the four of them prepared to leave the city to head for Macalania Woods. "Lulu, don't you want to come with us? We might find Wakka and Yunie," Rikku said with a pleading look.

The black mage shook her head. "No, I will stay and help defend Bevelle from any new fiends that may show up." She smiled at Ria, "Besides, you already have a competent mage in your group."

The young woman bowed in appreciation, then said, "Thank you, but if it wasn't for your training, then eventually I would have gotten someone killed."

They started to leave, but Lulu caught up with them and pressed an elaborately decorated bracelet into Ria's hand. "What is this?" the sorceress asked, staring at the jewelry.

It was a broad band of woven silver wire, and had a ruby, a sapphire, an opal, and an amethyst all in a cluster in the center. "This is a Tetra Bangle," Lulu told her. "It protects the wearer from Fire, Ice, Lightning, and Water spells."

"But why would you give this to me?"

"I wore it during Yuna's pilgrimage, and now I want you to wear it on yours."

Ria blinked back the tears that threatened to overwhelm her. "I'll treasure it always," she whispered.

Lulu gave Ria a fierce, sisterly hug, and the two of them parted ways: one heading back to Bevelle, the other toward Macalania, where new dangers await.

Finally, Ria has gotten some training! I know all of you are saying that it's about time, but give her a break. Auron may be an awesome swordsman, but I don't think that he'd know too much about magic. I hope you all liked my use of colors in magic, and the whole Tetra Bangle thing. Anyway, keep those reviews coming and I'll see you next time.


	15. Ch 15 Reflection

I'd like to go ahead and say thanks to Chaka, Insane Child, Xmaster, LadyMercy, and Kiki for reviewing. Okay…explanation time. First, I understand that I was a little confusing when I didn't name the colors and spells together, so I apologize for that and they go as follows: Red/Fire, Blue/Ice, Purple/Lightning, Indigo/Water, Gold/Earth, Silver/Wind, White/Holy, Black/Gravity, Orange/Flare, Green/Ultima. I guess that curative spells would be pastel colors and Kiki's nasty mixed watercolor shade would represent status spells. In addition, I do admit that Auron knows some things about magic, which is why he tried to help Ria in chapter 4. Anyway, let me stop rambling and get on with the next chapter.

Chapter 15: Reflection

Ria, Auron, Rikku, and Bob trudged through the blue gloom of the Macalania Woods. Since the fayth disappeared, the crystalline beauty of the wood had started to fade. Ria looked around and let out a long sigh. "How sad," she said, mostly to herself.

"What's sad?" Bob asked her.

"This forest…the trees are all so sad. They loved the fayth that resided in the temple, and now it's gone, so the trees are grieving," the sorceress sorrowfully replied.

Auron gave her a speculative look. "How in the world do you know that?"

She shrugged. "I don't know...it's just the feeling I get in here."

"Well, cheer up," Rikku said with a friendly smile. "We won't be in here too long."

They continued in silence, battling with the occasional fiend, but were otherwise unhindered. Finally, the four of them came close to the end of the forest, but a swarm of corrupted pyreflies halted their progress. "What are they doing?" Bob wondered, watching the little lights swirl and pulsate.

The pyreflies glowed poisonous red and smoky black, and seemed to regard the group with sheer malice. Suddenly, the swarm fused together and took on the form of a man. He looked as if he'd stepped out of a black-and-white picture, except for his eyes, which had a frosty yellow glow. If it weren't for the sneer that seemed to be his permanent expression, he would have been handsome. He was tall, with a pair of stylized dragon tattoos on his chest and long ponytails that looked suspiciously like handlebars. The stranger had clawed fingers that were twice as long as a normal human's was, and he wore baggy clothes that looked as if they were about to fall off.

"Seymour!" Auron hissed, drawing his katana on the stranger.

"No," the intruder replied with a slight smile, "I'm not Seymour."

"Oh, really?" Rikku retorted, "If you're not him, then who are you?"

"I am a projection created by Lord Seymour…a reflection, if you will," he explained.

"That's impossible! No one can create something like that!" the swordsman stubbornly replied.

The reflection waved its long-fingered hand dismissively. "Oh, come now. Do you REALLY think that you have any right to say what is and is not possible? You were dead for ten years, and yet, you still walked around among the living."

"What do you mean, 'were'?" Auron's expression was confused.

Shadow-Seymour's laughter rang out through the dying forest. It was a cold and mirthless sound. "You mean to tell me that you didn't know? Guardian, although you still smell faintly of the Farplane, you've been alive ever since you appeared in the other world. Well, more alive than dead, anyway, but I can fix that for you," he smiled with all the warmth of an arctic January.

"You're welcome to try," the guardian offered with a feral grin, as Ria, Rikku, and Bob stood beside him, ready to fight alongside their comrade.

"Why is it that nobody on Spira seems to wear clothes that fit?" the sorceress wondered aloud.

The reflection looked at the young woman with some surprise. "I didn't expect to see a person from the other world just yet," he said, ignoring Bob completely. "I have no quarrel with you, just the Al Bhed and the guardian. Why don't you just leave now? I won't try to stop you."

"Why don't you just kiss my ass?" Ria snapped, accompanying the comeback with a rude gesture.

"I tried to be merciful…oh well," he sighed, flicking his hand at the group.

Suddenly, a dark mist surrounded Auron, Rikku, and Ria, and they dropped to the ground without a struggle.

…Flash…

Rikku stood in the middle of the ruins of a city, lightning flashing overhead. "Where am I?" she wondered aloud, walking through the strangely familiar wreckage as she did so.

The Al Bhed wandered for what seemed like hours, calling for her friends as she went. Finally, she came upon a sign that, upon reading, informed her that she was standing in Bevelle. "That's impossible!" she cried, backing away from the offending sign. "What happened here?"

"They came…" an all too familiar voice rang out behind her.

Rikku turned around and saw Yuna standing in the middle of the ruined street. Her cousin was worn and dirty, but very much alive. "Yunie," the thief cheered, hugging her cousin.

The High Summoner violently shoved the girl away. "Yunie, what's wrong? Why is Bevelle gone?" Rikku asked.

"Why? You want to know why?" Yuna began to laugh maniacally. "You let 'them' come, and you have the nerve to ask me what happened?" she hooted.

"Yuna, who are you talking about?" the thief's voice was little more than a whisper.

"We call them the Bane, for that is what they are…the bane of all life on Spira. After Sin was destroyed, they came from the sky by the thousands, killing or capturing every living thing in their way!" Yuna shrieked. "Cid led a campaign to stop them, followed by the rest of the Al Bhed and what was left of the Crusaders, but the Bane wiped them out without breaking a sweat!"

Rikku's body went cold. "You mean…Dad, and…"

"Yes, your dad, Wakka, Lulu, Kimahri…everybody is GONE, and it's all your fault!"

"My fault? How is it my fault?"

"You should've just let me go on my pilgrimage. You should've let me get the Final Aeon and defeat Sin in the traditional way!"

"But, the Final Aeon wouldn't have defeated Sin forever and…"

"That's the point!" Yuna cut her off, "Sin was the ONLY thing that kept the Bane away for so long, and now that it's dead…"

Suddenly, the summoner let out a scream of pain and dropped to the ground. "Yunie, what's wrong? What's the matter with you?" Rikku was frantic.

"The Bane…" Yuna gasped, her entire body twitching in agony. "Those of us who were captured by them…they…"

Whatever the summoner would have said next was cut off as she let out one last blood-curdling scream as a creature clawed its way out of her stomach. Rikku stared at the thing in horrified fascination. The Bane looked like an unholy merging of a human, a mantis, and a snake, and it was already growing bigger. The creature looked up at the Al Bhed with cold eyes, one blue and one green, and it leaped at her face with a terrible screech.

"NO!" The thief cried, as she felt the monster's talons pierce her flesh.

…Flash…

Ria stood in the darkness, wondering what just happened. "Where is everybody?" she called, her voice echoing in the emptiness. The sorceress heard footsteps coming from behind, so she turned around to see who was there. "Auron, what happened? Where is everyone?" she asked, approaching her friend.

The swordsman drew his katana and pointed it at her. "Stay away," he growled.

Ria stopped in her tracks. "Auron, what are you doing? Where are Rikku and Bob?"

He laughed, but there was no sign of amusement in his voice. "They're gone. Both of them are dead!"

"What? How?" Ria couldn't believe her ears.

Auron's face twisted into a mask of rage. "They died saving you! They died because your stupid magic wasn't even strong enough to deal with a stupid Ogre. It's entirely your fault, Ria!"

"They died…because of me?" She shook her head in denial. "No, you're lying."

"Am I? It doesn't matter whether you believe me or not, because it won't bring Rikku and Bob back from the dead." He turned and started to walk away.

"Wait," she called. "Where are you going?"

"I'm getting away from you!" he snarled, rounding on her. "I'm leaving before you get me killed, too! I'm tired of always having to come to your rescue, Ria! I should have just let the Xiphos have you…it would have saved me a lot of trouble in the long run!"

As Auron continued to harangue her, Ria reeled as if he'd slapped her. She felt as if he'd punched her in the stomach, and it hurt to know that he felt this way about her. He kept on berating her, and as he yelled, her pain turned to anger, and she finally gave vent to it. "DAMN YOU!" the sorceress screamed, clenching her hands into fists.

A wave of dark flame erupted in answer to her angry cry, and it wrapped around the swordsman, instantly incinerating him. As suddenly as it came, the fire vanished, leaving only a blackened husk behind. "Auron…oh God, what have I done?" Ria whispered brokenly, sinking to the floor in despair.

Wes appeared before the distraught young woman, and he knelt down and looked into her eyes. _"So, you've finally done it, haven't you, Sis?"_ he asked, his blue eyes cold. _"You've managed to kill off everyone you care about. Congratulations."_

She looked up at him, her eyes wide. "No, I didn't mean to…"

The fayth silenced her with a wave. _"That doesn't matter. The point is that you destroy everything you touch. That's why me and the rest of the family are dead, Ria."_

As he spoke, images of her mother, grandmother, sister, and stepfather appeared behind him, their expressions accusing. _"You killed us, Ria. We died because you were too weak to come and save us," _they all hissed in unison.

"You're right: it IS my fault," she sobbed burying her face in her hands.

Alexander appeared, and he changed from a heavenly being to a soldier from Hell. The aeon's armor, once shining silver, changed to leaden black and his once-angelic wings became twisted and demonic. Ria continued to cry brokenheartedly, and did not see the warped aeon raise his obsidian sword over her head.

…Flash…

Auron had an oddly metallic taste in his mouth, so he quickly drank from the lake that lay before him. He was still in the Macalania Woods, but his friends were nowhere in sight. The swordsman had just begun to wonder why he felt so exhausted, when a cruel laughter rang out behind him. "Seymour!" he cried, reaching for his katana, but it was not there.

The Guado chuckled sinisterly, "Are you looking for your sword? You left it back at the camp, along with what's left of your friends."

"What did you do to them?" Auron yelled, shoving the maester aside in his rush to get back to his allies.

What the guardian saw more closely resembled a massacre than a campsite. His katana was driven halfway into the ground, surrounded by a puddle of bright citrine blood. A little silver lantern and a kitchen knife lay nearby, the only evidence of Bob's existence that remained. Not far away, Rikku lay motionless on the ground, her head turned at an unnatural angle, eyes blank. Seymour appeared before him, a look of pure amusement on his features. "Me? I wasn't the one who did this. Why do you think that you're so tired?"

Auron shook his head in disbelief. "You're lying! I didn't do this!"

Seymour nodded, "Oh, yes, you did. You seemed to enjoy it, too. I would have interrupted you earlier, but you looked like you were having a lot of fun with your mage friend over there."

He pointed to an unmoving figure at the edge of the camp. Auron ran to where it lay, and what he saw made his stomach heave. Ria was unmistakably dead, her entire body savaged with claw marks and bite marks. The only reason anyone could recognize her was because her face was the only thing left unscathed. Even in death, the sorceress' eyes were accusing, her expression full of sheer terror. "No…I couldn't have done this," the swordsman flinched away from his friend's body.

"Oh, but you did," Seymour told him. "You know, she might have gotten away if she had a weapon, but all she had was her half-trained magic to protect her. By the way, have you seen yourself, lately?"

The Guado waved his hand and a large mirror appeared. When Auron looked, what he saw made him recoil in horror. In place of his reflection, a most terrible fiend stood there. It was glossy black with crimson streaks, and had huge, bat-like wings. The creature's shoulders were heavily muscled, but the rest of its body was lithe and graceful looking. Its face was only vaguely human, all sharp angles and skeletal in appearance, with pointy silver fangs in its lipless mouth. Most disturbingly of all, the demon still wore the tattered remains of a red coat, and behind the dark sunglasses, its right eye was sealed shut by a hideous scar, while the left one glowed a hellish orange. "You see, you're not a human anymore," the maester cackled. "Isn't it funny: the legendary guardian is now a man-eating monster?"

Auron stared at his bloodstained hands. They looked much like a Guado's, but the talons were much longer. "No, no, NO!" his voice changed from a slightly husky baritone to a noise that was half roar, half howl.

…Flash…

"Why won't you guys wake up?" Bob cried, frantically shaking his three friends.

The little Tonberry was the only one unaffected by the reflection's dark spell. Rikku, Auron, and Ria all lay prone on the ground before the evil creation, and it laughed triumphantly. "I tried to be reasonable, but you didn't want to listen…oh well."

Shadow Seymour pulled a black sword out of thin air and slowly advanced on the unmoving party. Suddenly, Bob interposed himself between his friends and the reflection. "Leave them alone," he cried, attempting to sound threatening, but failing utterly.

"Why, it's a Tonberry," the reflection said with some amusement. "What are you doing outside of the caves, little one?"

"What did you do to my friends?" Bob demanded, keeping his knife pointed at the approaching Guado.

"Your friends? Oh, you mean these three. I didn't do anything serious; I just trapped them in the most terrible nightmares their imaginations can create. I want them to drown in the most exquisite despair possible before I kill them."

"Stop it! Leave them alone!"

"Oh, I'm sorry but I'm afraid I can't do that, little one. Their torment and deaths will increase my master's power, tenfold. Maybe if you get out of my way and keep quiet, I'll forget about you."

Bob became angry. "No! I said leave them alone, and I mean it! I'll fight you if I have to, so you'd better let them go, right now!"

Shadow Seymour laughed at the Tonberry's threats. "Oh, and just what, exactly, are you going to do, little fiend?"

Suddenly, a strange force emanated from the Tonberry Prince. His yellow eyes glowed brightly and he yelled, "YOU HATEFUL BASTARD!"

Bob dropped his lantern and leapt at the reflection, grabbing one of his pointy ponytails as an anchor and stabbing him with reckless abandon. "Take this, and this, and one of these!" the little fiend screamed, continuing to stab the Guado with vengeful fury.

Dark gray blood sprayed everywhere as the reflection fell to the ground, Bob still stabbing it. Finally, the Tonberry backed away from his enemy, and Shadow Seymour reverted to the corrupted pyreflies that spawned him. Ria, Rikku, and Auron, now free from the spell, awoke from their nightmares. The three of them looked around, still shaking from terror, and Bob turned and asked them, "Are you three okay?"

"How did you stop him?" Rikku quavered, trying to calm down.

"I used a move that can only be used by the Tonberry Royal Family. We call it 'It's Sharp'."

"Bob, you saved us all. Thank you," Ria whispered, hugging the little fiend.

"You'd have done the same for me," he replied.

"What did he do to us?" Rikku wondered aloud.

"Shadow Seymour had trapped you all inside terrible nightmares, but I'm a fiend, so his spell didn't work on me."

Auron shook his head, trying to banish the terror that he felt. "Come on, we can't stay here."

"Are we going to leave the forest?" Ria asked.

"No, we're going to backtrack to a campsite not far from here," the swordsman suppressed a shudder.

Okay, that's all you're getting for now. (Screams of anguish) Hey, stop that! I'll update soon, so don't do that! (Screams stop) Anyway, I know Rikku's nightmare sort of came out like something out of the movie "Aliens", but you can thank my brother for that idea. I tried my best to keep it PG-13, so hopefully the nightmares aren't too graphic. Well, review, and I will see you all later.


	16. Ch 16 Confessions

I'm back everybody. Let me go ahead and thank Insane Child and Xmaster for reviewing. I'm not going to bore everyone to tears this time, so let's just cut to the chase, shall we?

Chapter 16: Confessions

Auron led his three companions to a small clearing just off the road leading from Macalania to the Calm Lands. "Does this place look familiar, Rikku?" he asked with a slight smile.

The Al Bhed looked around for a long moment. "Hey, this is where we stayed after we escaped from Bevelle, isn't it?"

Auron nodded. "It is, and it looks like we'll be using this place again tonight."

The four of them set up camp and after starting a small fire, they sat down to rest. The ruby light of the flames mingled with the crystalline blue gloom of the forest, and everything glowed in soft lavender light. "Well, it looks like the rumors are true: Seymour Guado has returned," Auron closed his eye and sighed.

"He's the one who screwed everything up. He killed my family. Why couldn't he just stay dead?" Ria growled under her breath.

"You know, I don't think that he's become an Unsent again," Bob told them. "I think that he's either still in the Farplane or in someplace close to it."

"Well, the Zanarkand ruins were a lot like the Farplane when we went to see Yunalesca," Rikku said.

"Maybe that's why he appeared there, but that still doesn't explain the corrupted pyreflies," Auron doubtfully replied.

"When that reflection thingy put that nightmare spell on all of you, he said that your despair would increase his master's powers, so maybe the pyreflies have something to do with that?" Bob suggested.

"Of course!" Ria smacked her forehead. When her friends gave her a bewildered look, she told them, "There are all kinds of stories back on Earth about how various things can increase someone's magical powers…"

"But I thought you didn't have magic on Earth, Ria," Rikku interrupted.

"We do, but it's all spiritual in nature. Anyway, three of the most potent ways to raise power are through blood, death, and sex. Now, if Seymour isn't an Unsent, then he wouldn't really have a solid form, so that leaves sex out, but if he found a way to control the pyreflies, then he could easily cause lots of pain and death. Now that just leaves two questions: how is he doing it, and why is Earth involved?"

Nobody had an answer for that, so the four of them fell into a ponderous silence. Rikku dozed off several times, but she kept waking up and shivering with fear. "Man, I can't seem to shake that stupid nightmare," she grumbled to herself.

"Well stay awake, then," Auron told her.

"Hey, Auron?" Ria touched his shoulder.

"What?"

"Do you still have any sake in that jug?"

He gave her an incredulous look. "Why? I thought you didn't drink."

"I don't all that often, but right now, I'm in the same boat as Rikku, so let me have some."

He passed the white jug to the sorceress, and she took a long pull on it. "Jesus Christ, that stuff is NASTY!" she cried, making a face.

"You didn't have to have any, you know," the swordsman replied with some amusement.

A couple of hours passed in more silence, until Bob sighed, "You know, I don't really want to be the Tonberry King."

"Why not?" Rikku wanted to know.

"I…don't think that I'd make a good leader, that's all. I'm not strong, or fast, or brave, and I'm a flake, so I'd always forget something important, and…"

"Bob, you are one of the bravest people I've met!" Ria told him. "You could have run away and left us to die when Seymour attacked us, but you stood up to him and saved us all! If that's not courage, then I don't know what is!"

"But I was scared to death…"

"Yet, you still defended us, Bob. Standing up for what you believe in, even though you're afraid, is a sign of true courage. I didn't thank you earlier, so let me say it now: thank you, Bob, you're a truer friend than you realize," Auron gravely saluted the little fiend.

"And you're smart!" the thief chimed in. "You can be faster than the wind, or stronger than Sin, but it doesn't really help you if you're as dumb as a rock."

"Gee, I had no idea you guys felt that way…" the Tonberry was astonished.

"Yes, we all love you very much, Bob," the sorceress said, her voice now subdued.

The silence reasserted itself, and they added some more wood to their little campfire. Finally, Rikku broke the quiet and said, "I have something I want to tell you guys."

They all watched her for a moment and nodded a mute assent. "Go on, what is it?" Ria prompted.

The thief traced a pattern in the dirt with her finger. "Well, when I first joined Yuna's pilgrimage, I was kind of upset that he was paying so much attention to Yuna. I mean, I saw him first, and…well…"

"You were jealous?" Ria smiled.

"Just a little, and only at first, but I felt so bad about it. I mean, I didn't know if we were going to be able to save Yunie, and I wanted her to be happy, so I never said anything about how I felt in the beginning. I was afraid that I was going to lose her, so I left them alone for the most part. Then I had that dream…and everyone was dead, and it was my fault, and I thought it was because I wasn't a good friend, and…"

"Rikku, it was just a dream. It can't hurt you unless you let it," the sorceress told her.

"I know it shouldn't bother me, but I'm so afraid that I'm not going to see Yunie again to tell her that I love her…and that I'm sorry," the girl's spiral eyes filled with tears.

"Yuna knows that you love her," Auron said, carefully keeping his voice neutral. "Jealousy is perfectly natural, as long as you don't let it run away with you. You didn't do that, so you have nothing to be ashamed of."

Ria gave the guardian a long, speculative look. Her face took on a pained expression, and she closed her eyes and sighed, "Well, since everyone else seems to be making confessions, I guess I will, too."

"What is this; the spill your guts hour?" Bob asked with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"Very funny!" the sorceress' voice dripped with sarcasm. "Anyway, Auron, do you remember that problem you kept asking me about back in Discovery? The one that I said I would get over on my own?"

He nodded, and she continued, "Well, the trouble is, I haven't gotten over it. If anything, it seems to have gotten worse."

"What, you're not dying, are you, Ria?" Rikku looked worried.

The mage smiled. "No, it's not anything like that. I don't have any other way to say this, so I won't beat around the bush…Auron, I love you."

Rikku and Bob gaped at her, completely flabbergasted, while Ria's face turned a lush crimson. "At first, I thought I just felt this way because you saved my life, but now I know that it's more than that!" She closed her eyes and sighed gustily. "How do I put this into words? Auron, you have got to be one of the grouchiest men I've ever met…"

"Thanks a lot," he dryly replied.

"And you're infuriating, and a little arrogant, and so overpoweringly macho it makes my head hurt! But under all of that lies the most compassionate and noble soul I've ever seen." Her voice took on a kind of quiet wonder. "You're very good at hiding it, you know. Your face hides your feelings well, but then I look into your eye and what I see touches my heart. I don't love you as the Guardian, I love you as the man that you are, and everything that goes with it."

Auron stared at her, his expression obscured by his dark sunglasses. When he said nothing, Ria sighed, "And I've just made a fool out of myself."

The sorceress got up and walked away, leaving the group to stare after her in a kind of daze. "Well?" Rikku asked, looking at the swordsman expectantly.

"Well what?"

"Aren't you going to go after her?"

"Why? She clearly wants to be left alone."

"She just said that she loves you! You need to go tell her something," the Al Bhed was becoming aggravated.

"What am I supposed to say, Rikku?" Auron's tone was testy.

"Tell her how you feel, you dolt!"

"But…"

"No buts!" Rikku stood up, stamped her foot, and pointed in the direction that Ria had gone. "Now get your ass moving, or I swear I'll disown you!"

Auron looked up at her, but the thief's expression was adamant. "Fine, have it your way," he muttered.

The guardian left the camp and searched for Ria. He found the sorceress standing next to the crystal lake. The water and the trees were gilded silver by the light of the waxing moon, and the scene looked like something from a dream. "Ria? Are you okay?"

She turned around and smiled at him, but her eyes glittered with tears that she, in her pride, refused to shed. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Ria, I…"

"No, its okay," she stopped him. "I understand that you don't have the same feelings for me that I have for you, and it's all right. I'm just being foolish, and after all this is over, I'll go back to Earth if I can, and leave you in peace…"

Auron didn't have the words to say what he needed to say, so he interrupted Ria by pulling her close and kissing her deeply. Surprised, the sorceress froze, but soon returned the kiss with all her heart. It lasted for only a few moments, but felt like an eternity, and left the two of them breathless. "Oh, my…" she blushed again, but only slightly.

"I just did the first thing that came to mind," he smiled. "Ria, I feel the same way. I just don't have the words to express my feelings." He kissed her again, not as long, or as deep, but it was just as loving as the first.

She returned the kiss, put a pale hand on his cheek, and smiled sadly. "It's just a shame that this is all we can have."

He continued to hold her close, and after a while, said, "You're right: it is sad, but we have something else we have to finish, before we can be more than what we are."

Ria took his hand, and together the two of them walked back to the camp.

"They've been gone for quite some time," Bob said, peering into the darkness beyond the campfire. "What do you think they're doing?"

"I don't know," Rikku replied, nibbling on a piece of traveler's bread. "I haven't heard any screaming, so I don't think they've been fighting."

"Is human mating always this complicated?" the Tonberry asked.

The thief spat out the mouthful she had been chewing on. "WHAT?" she shrieked.

"You know, when Tonberries feel that way about each other, we just go off and…"

"Bob, you're a pervert!"

"What's a pervert?" he asked curiously.

"Never mind."

Ria and Auron returned to the camp, and from the lack of cuts and bruises, they definitely hadn't been fighting. "So…are you two mated now?" Bob asked archly.

"BOB! What do you think you're doing?" Rikku hissed, as both the swordsman and the sorceress blushed.

"No, we're not!" Auron's voice sounded strangled.

The little fiend shrugged, "You must've been doing something wrong, then." He turned to Ria and asked, "What's a pervert?"

The sorceress turned redder. "What?"

"Rikku said that I was a pervert because I think that you two are taking too long to become mates, and…"

"Don't worry about it," Ria told him.

"But, I…"

"Enough!" Auron roared. "That's it; we've got a long journey ahead of us tomorrow, so we need to get some sleep."

They put out the fire, and finally managed to doze off, even though Bob was snickering in the darkness. Ria started to say something, but decided against it, and fell asleep.

This was the first time I've ever tried to write a love scene, so if it came out weird, I apologize. For all of you perverts out there: this story is PG-13, and anyway, Auron seems like a proper sort of person, and Ria is not one of those types who develop helium heels just because someone whispers sweet nothings in her ear. They're still going to argue, because they're both strong-willed people, but I'm starting to ramble (again), so I'll leave you all alone now.


	17. Ch 17 Aeon Duel

I'd like to thank Chaka, Insane Child, LadyMercy, Kiki, and Xmaster for their reviews. I want everyone to keep in mind that Bob isn't a human, so things that would bother a human don't faze him. It doesn't occur to him that mating is not a suitable topic for conversation with humans, and he's young, so of course he's going to be curious. Anyway, here's the next chapter.

Chapter 17: Aeon Duel

Ria walked into the hotel room, arms laden with Chinese takeout. Auron sat in one of the chairs, busily repairing his coat. He was wearing a pair of black pajama bottoms and nothing else, and the sorceress couldn't help but stare at him. The swordsman set down his work, pushed his ponytail over his shoulder, and asked, "Ria, are you okay?"

…Flash…

Ria sat up in the steely predawn light and barely suppressed a growl of frustration. "Why the hell did I dream that?" she muttered to herself.

_"Because,"_ another part of her slyly replied, _"You liked what you saw, and you know that you'd like to see more."_

"There's no time for that, now," she quietly admonished, "Maybe after this is over, but not now. There are more important matters at hand."

That niggling little voice of truth became silent, and the sorceress stood up. "Well, I'm not going to fall asleep again, so I might as well go for a swim."

She quietly left the camp and walked out to the lake. Leaving the open expanse of the path, the sorceress walked among the trees, removed her clothing, and dove into the water. It was cold, but not frigid, so it wasn't unpleasant. Ria swam several laps, letting the beauty of her surroundings temporarily sweep away all her worries.

Suddenly, something wrapped itself around her ankle and tugged, pulling the young woman under. It let her go, and she quickly resurfaced, spluttering and gasping. Something touched her back, and she let out a small scream and turned around. It was Bob. "Did you think I was a fiend?" was the cheerful question that greeted her.

"Bob, you ARE a fiend," she told him, trying to look angry, but failing.

"Oh, yeah…"

"What are you doing out here?" she asked.

"Well, I saw you come out here, and it looked like you were having a lot of fun, so I thought I'd join you."

"Bob, I'm not wearing any clothes!" the sorceress shrieked.

"So?" he shrugged, green shoulders rising from the water. "Neither am I. Clothes just get snagged on stuff and slow you down, anyway."

The Tonberry turned around and quickly swam away. He moved surprisingly fast, using his tail and big feet for propulsion. "Come catch me, Ria!" he called, waving a little arm at her.

They played tag for quite some time, and it occurred to her that Bob wasn't really a pervert, just different. He really had no idea that human society was not the same as his own. She grabbed him by the tail and crowed, "HA! I caught you!"

"Having fun, are we?" called a voice from the water's edge.

Ria whipped around and saw Auron standing there, a big smile on his face. It was the first one that the sorceress could remember seeing. "Auron, what are you doing here?" she blurted.

"You two were making enough noise to wake the dead, so I thought I'd come check on you." He raised an eyebrow. "I see that you're okay, though."

"Hey, why don't you join us?" Bob brightly suggested. "Tag is a lot more fun with more people, and…"

Ria blushed furiously, and shoved the Tonberry under the water. "No, I'm finished now," she squeaked.

"I see…" was Auron's only reply.

Bob swam to shore, shook himself dry, and put his robe back on. "Ria, I thought you were getting out?" he called when she made no move to the shore.

"I am! I just don't want an audience, that's all," she replied.

"You don't have an audience; it's just me and Auron out here, and…oh." The little fiend started giggling.

"Yeah, I'm not dressed, you know, so either leave or turn around," she ordered, her face turning redder.

Finally, Auron chuckled and walked away. We'll be back at the camp when you're finished, Ria."

The sorceress got out of the lake, retrieved her clothes, and quickly put them on. Once finished, she returned to the camp, where Rikku was just waking up. "Ria, what happened?" she yawned, "You look like you fell in a lake."

"We went swimming and had a lot of fun," Bob told the thief. "I invited Auron to come swimming with us, but Ria's face turned bright red for some reason."

"Don't worry about it," Ria said, when Rikku gave her a questioning look. "Well, what are we waiting for? We're leaving, aren't we?"

A little while later, the group broke camp and left the Macalania Woods. They emerged from the crystal forest and saw a vast, open plain before them. "What is this place?" the sorceress asked, her eyes full of awe.

"The Calm Lands," Auron replied. "The summoners used to battle Sin here, and bring on the Calm."

"Yeah, and in one battle, Sin ripped up the ground, creating that gorge over there," Rikku included, pointing at the canyon beyond the prairie.

The four of them started to make their way across the plains, when the sound of steel on steel caught their attention. "Look out!" Bob shouted, dropping to the ground.

An explosion of force knocked Auron, Ria, and Rikku off their feet. They heard another clash of steel, and then the fighters appeared. One was a masked samurai, garbed in blue and white, with an odd-looking blue dog at his side. The other warrior wore dark armor, and had a pair of antlers branching from his head. He was mounted on an iron gray, six-legged horse with fiery orange eyes. "That's Odin!" Ria gasped.

"Who is he?" Rikku asked. "I've never heard of him."

"Odin is a god that a warrior race worshipped on Earth centuries ago. Some people still pray to him, but I don't know what he's doing here in Spira," the sorceress explained, watching the two fighters' staring contest. "I don't know who the samurai is."

"His name is Yojimbo," Auron told her. "He is an aeon whose fayth once resided in a cave not far from here."

"Yeah, I remember him!" Bob cried, "I used to go see him sometimes, but he was wearing orange back then."

"Maybe he's been corrupted like Bahamut?" Rikku wondered.

No one answered her, as all of them were mesmerized by the imminent battle. Odin dismounted his horse, keeping his broadsword trained on Yojimbo. The samurai drew his wakizashi in response. The two warriors slowly circled one another, their eyes calculating.

Suddenly, the blue dog lunged at the deity, but the six-legged horse intercepted him. Daigoro barked and snapped at Sleipnir, while he responded by rearing up and lashing out with his front hooves. Finally, the dog hamstrung one of the horse's back legs, but Sleipnir retaliated by kicking out with his remaining leg, catching the canine in the jaw and breaking his neck.

As Daigoro slumped to the ground, Yojimbo drew a trio of daggers and threw them at Sleipnir, where they buried themselves in the horse's throat. Odin let out a scream of rage and lashed out at the samurai with his black broadsword. The aeon barely dodged the blow and returned the strike with his narrower blade, but he only scored a minor hit. The two of them traded blows, ducking and slashing, but neither of them seemed to be able to inflict a mortal wound. The crash of steel echoed throughout the Calm Lands, and the sheer force of the aeons' blows ripped up large tracks of the landscape.

"If this keeps up much longer, they're going to completely obliterate this entire area!" Ria shouted, staying low to the ground.

"How much longer could they possibly fight?" Rikku shrieked, covering her head with her hands.

Auron, who was the only one still standing, did not take his gaze from the titanic struggle. "They're too evenly matched," he said, mostly to himself. "The only way this will end is if they kill each other off."

Yojimbo and Odin continued their struggle for dominance and the ground began to tremble violently. Finally, the horned god caught the samurai off guard and struck him with a massive overhead strike. His Zantetsuken attack cleaved through the aeon's left shoulder and stopped short of his right hip. Odin's victory was short-lived, however, because Yojimbo drove his wakizashi straight through the deity's heart. The two warriors fell to the ground and exploded in a near-cataclysmic wave of pyreflies and pure force.

Everyone hit the dirt again as the shockwave washed over them. The blast rocked the Calm Lands and the ground collapsed in several places. Finally, the earthquake subsided, and the four of them got to their feet. "Well, that was an earth-shaking experience," Bob said with a sigh.

Rikku and Ria groaned at the pun, but Auron continued to watch one part of the Calm Lands in silence. "What's wrong with you?" the sorceress asked him.

He turned around and gave her a look of concern. "There is a monster arena in this area, where you can battle fiends from all over Spira," he told her.

"I remember that place," Rikku said. "Why are you worried about it?"

A series of loud roars rang out over the prairie, and Auron replied, "That explosion freed the monsters…ALL of them."

"Even the ones that he created?" the thief's voice quavered.

Just then, what looked like a gold Chocobo Eater, in hot pursuit of one of the wild birds, passed by in the distance. "Does that answer your question?" he retorted.

Wasn't that a great chapter? I know I cut it kind of short, but I'll update soon. I hope everyone enjoyed the fact that Auron got to pick on Ria in this chapter, along with the battle between Yojimbo and Odin. Anyway, keep those reviews coming. Bye, now.


	18. Ch 18 Long Live the King

I thank Chaka, Insane Child, and Kyanos for their reviews, and I thank everyone in general for reading this story. Really, you have all been great and I truly appreciate it. Now, it is time to move onward and upward.

Chapter 18: Long Live the King

The arena monsters were free, thanks to Yojimbo and Odin, and it made the group's journey across the Calm Lands far more perilous. What normally would have only taken half a day became far longer, now that the grassland was flooded with fiends of unnatural strength. "I think we've got a serious problem on our hands, you guys," Ria panted after they defeated the Demon-Wolf, Fenrir.

It had taken nearly everything the group had to defeat it, along with the bloodthirsty pack it had collected when all the Lupines escaped from captivity, and now the group was completely exhausted. "You're right, but there's no help for it," Auron told her. "We have to keep going, or we won't make it to Mt. Gagazet by nightfall."

"In case you haven't noticed, Auron, it's already starting to get dark and we're not even halfway there, yet!" Rikku pointed out.

"Yeah," Bob agreed, his shoulders slumping with fatigue. "We're all exhausted, and if we try to cross at night, as tired as we are, then we're definitely going to end up on something's dinner menu."

"What about you?" Auron asked waspishly, rounding on Ria, "Did you want to stop, too?"

"There's no need to take that tone with me," the sorceress replied, her green eyes flashing. "It's not my fault that all those monsters got loose, so don't take it out on me! And yes, I do need to stop. We're out of Ethers, my magic's running low, and I don't have a weapon anymore, thanks to that whole ordeal back in Sunrise Cove."

"Are you saying that it's my fault?"

"No, I've already told you that I don't blame you for that, but Rikku and Bob don't have any extra knives I can borrow, and I definitely don't have the kind of upper-body strength needed to swing one of those big-ass swords of yours around!"

When he didn't reply, she sighed, "I'm sorry, we're all tired, and our tempers are wearing thin. Let's just find someplace secure to stay for the night, okay?"

"Hey, let's go see if that rest stop is still open," Rikku suggested.

Auron gave both girls a baleful look and stormed off, swearing under his breath about hardheaded women. "Sheesh, what's his problem?" the thief muttered.

"I think he's just got a chip on his shoulder, that's all," Ria replied.

"I think he needs a good spanking!" Bob said, irritated at the swordsman's attitude.

"And just who, exactly, were you planning on volunteering for the job?" the sorceress demanded in a hard tone.

The Tonberry saw the look on his friend's face and flinched. "Nobody. Just forget I said anything."

They continued onward and arrived at the rest stop just as the sun sank below the horizon. Rikku spotted the proprietor and, in Al Bhed, asked, /Hey, are you still open?/

The shopkeeper nodded, and replied, /Yes, even though all the customers were scared away during that battle./

The thief switched to English and said, "Yeah, and now all those arena monsters have escaped, so everything's gotten pretty bad out there. I'm surprised that the fiends haven't attacked this place yet."

The shopkeeper shrugged. "Nip Grass grows wild in this part of the Calm Lands, and the fiends won't come near it. The chocobos seem to like it though."

She pointed, and the thief turned around and saw two wild chocobos rolling on some clover-like plants, with Bob giggling nearby. "Bob, doesn't the grass bother you?" Rikku asked.

"Not really," the little fiend replied, "But I'm a 'wild' fiend, so the smell of the Farplane doesn't really bother me the way it does the unsent."

Ria picked up one of the crushed plants and sniffed it experimentally. It smelled like cinnamon and patchouli. "Hey, this has the same smell as that bug that attacked me back home!" she exclaimed.

The Tonberry turned to the sorceress and said, "It must've just become a fiend, then. All who die, but remain here, have that smell when they first return, but it fades as time goes by. The ones who become fiends never forget that smell, even though they have forgotten everything else, and they fear it like nothing else in the world."

"Wow, Bob," Rikku whispered in quiet awe. "I didn't know anything about that."

He sighed sadly, "Sometimes, humans who die in the caves become Tonberries, and we offer to let them join our society, but they've become hollow with anger and grief, so they attack anything that comes near them. The unsent are more like an empty copy of a real fiend. This is kind of a painful subject, so can we just drop it, please?"

The girls nodded and left the little fiend to his own devices. Ria turned her attention back to the shopkeeper, and asked, "Excuse me, but do you sell weapons here?"

"Yes, I sell many kinds," she replied with a smile. "What did you have in mind?"

The sorceress looked at Rikku with a helpless expression, and the thief said, "My friend is a mage, so she hasn't had that much experience with weapons."

"I see…" the proprietor trailed off, eyeing Ria carefully. "I think I have something you can use."

The older Al Bhed rummaged underneath the counter for a few minutes, and brought out an old, heavily wrapped bundle. "I've had this thing for quite some time, and it's an excellent weapon, but no one has ever seemed interested in it. Go on, open it."

Ria untied the twine, and as the wrappings fell away, she let out a gasp of surprise. The weapon was a pole type, with a shaft that barely came up to the sorceress' chin. The staff was midnight blue, engraved with an intricate star design in a spiral pattern. Atop the pole was a long, curved blade that seemed more like a sword than a spear. "I found that at an excavation site many years ago, and I've been trying to sell it ever since. I don't know what its name, so I've been calling it Starblade," the woman told her.

Ria picked up the weapon and hefted it experimentally. She was just a novice, but even she could tell that it was superbly balanced. "How much do you want for it?" she asked.

The shopkeeper shook her head. "You keep it. It seems like it was made for you, and I don't think that anyone else could appreciate it as much as you do. Was there anything else that you wanted?"

Ria and Rikku bought some Potions and Ethers, and after putting the items away, split up to go check on their companions. The sorceress found Auron in the rest area, but he'd fallen asleep. In slumber, all the stolidity of the guardian's face faded away, and a semblance of the young man he once was rose to the surface. "He tried to act like he wasn't tired, but I knew better," she chuckled quietly to herself.

Ria ran into Rikku and Bob just as she was leaving the rest area. "Auron's passed out back there," she told them, her voice was full of amusement. "Are you two going to sleep, too?"

"Yeah, are you coming with us?" Bob wanted to know.

"No, I think I'll go practice with the Starblade for a while, first. I need to get the feel of it anyway."

The sorceress stood a little ways off from the station, lashing out at imaginary fiends with her blade. Her moves weren't very graceful, but they were good enough to keep her alive, and that was all that mattered to her. Suddenly, a hand touched her shoulder, causing her to shriek. Ria whipped around, ready to face whatever fiend that had braved the odd smell of the Nip Grass, and saw Auron standing there, his face full of amusement. "You scared the hell out of me, you sadist!" she hissed, more irritated than angry.

"A little fear is good for you; it keeps the blood pumping," he replied, still smiling.

"Ha, ha, very funny," she made a face at him, and then asked, "Why are you up, anyway?"

"Bob's snoring woke me up, and I was wondering where you were. Where'd you get that?" he pointed at the staff.

"The lady at the shop gave it to me. She said that no one else wanted it, so she let me have it for free."

"Are you any good with it?"

"I do okay. I'm not exactly warrior material, you know, but I think I could keep myself alive with it. I would have showed it to you earlier, but you were asleep, so I left you alone."

"I wouldn't have minded."

"Oh, really? I wouldn't have figured, because you were pretty pissed off when we got here." She raised an eyebrow at him. "What were you so mad about, anyway?"

"A lot of things, I suppose, but mostly it was because I didn't want to be delayed. I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier, and when the others wake up, I'll apologize to them, too."

"I'm sure they'll appreciate it," she replied.

He gave her a peculiar look. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"What made you so desperate to get a new weapon, all of a sudden?"

"Oh…that…" she sighed and closed her eyes. "It's because of that stupid dream! I was alone in the dark…with you…"

"Sounds like fun," he grinned.

"It wasn't like that!" she scolded. "Anyway, we were alone, and you told me to stay away from you. You looked really angry, and I didn't know why. Then I asked you where Rikku and Bob were, and you told me that they were dead and it was my fault! They died because my magic wasn't enough to save them. You said that you were tired of always having to save me, and that you should've just let that bug kill me! I got angry…and you died, too," her voice started to break.

"What else happened?" he asked, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"Wes showed up, along with the rest of my family. He said that I destroy everything that I care about, and that it was my fault that they all died, too. He said that they died because I was a weakling, and…do you know what the worst part is?"

Auron said nothing, his gaze searching. Ria, unable to meet that stare, looked at the ground, and whispered, "I believed it. Auron, I believed all of it, and a small part of me still does. I wanted a weapon, because I don't want to rely on someone else to save me all the time! It's not fair: not to you, not to Rikku and Bob, and it isn't fair to me."

He pulled her close and held her tightly. "Sometimes you have to rely on others, Ria. You can't fight every battle by yourself. I had to learn that the hard way, and it cost me dearly. You have done more than your share of fighting, and you have suffered through things that no one should have to deal with, but you will never be alone. Wes came back to help you, Rikku and Bob care about you, and…" his voice took on a fierce quality. "…I love you, Ria. You say that you aren't a warrior type, but I don't believe that. You have the soul of a warrior, and that is what's important. You may be ill-tempered…"

Ria laughed at that. "…And you may be stubborn, and swear more than the law allows, but I see past all that to the light that shines within. Ria, if you are ever to let someone watch your back, then let it be me."

She just stared at him, totally at a loss for words. Finally, Auron took advantage of the moment, and kissed her. They stayed that way for a long moment, their blood rising, when an all too familiar voice interrupted them. "Well, well, well. What have we here?"

Auron and Ria quickly backed away from each other and turned to glare at Bob. "Did she need some more kissy-face magic, Auron, or is there some other excuse you want to try this time?" the little fiend eyes sparkled in a mischievous way.

"Bob, how long have you been standing there?" Ria asked, her face burning.

"Long enough to hear something about him watching your butt, or something like that."

"I said back, and aren't you supposed to be asleep?" the swordsman was suppressing the urge to strangle the Tonberry.

"Rikku wouldn't stop kicking me, so I came to see what you two were doing," the little fiend waved his hand dismissively. "You know, Auron, it would be a lot easier if you'd stop sneaking around, trying to hide from everyone."

"Maybe what I do isn't meant for public display," he replied, biting off the words as he spoke.

"What's going on?" Rikku yawned, walking over to the group. "I woke up, and everyone was gone."

Bob turned around and shot the thief a long-suffering look. "They were sneaking around, hoping that nobody would notice that they're doing courtship dances. They're not very good at it: I've been able to tell how they feel about each other since Panama City. You humans just confuse me more and more everyday."

"Okay, I'm going to bed now!" Ria announced, her voice squeaking slightly.

They all returned to the station, and it didn't take any of them very long to fall asleep. The next day, the four of them continued to battle their way across the Calm Lands, with a little more success than yesterday. Their major concern was the Malboro Menace, but since it had engaged in an all-out battle with Catastrophe, it wasn't the grave threat that it usually was. Rikku managed a surprise attack on the two plant fiends, using a pair of flame grenades, and they were able to sneak by while the monsters were distracted.

"See, I told you that my plan would work," the thief cried triumphantly as they all emerged in the canyon below Mt. Gagazet.

"Oh, yeah?" Ria said, stopping in her tracks. "Well, what do we do about THEM?"

The four of them found themselves surrounded by lots of Bobs, and they did not look happy to see them. "Tonberries!" Rikku shouted. "Hey, Bob, we've found your people!"

The little fiend chuckled nervously. "Yeah, but I think that you all might want to be quiet now."

"Why? What's going on?" Auron growled.

One Tonberry, an adult male, separated from the rest of the mob. "You are all under arrest!" he announced in a lofty tone.

"What?" Bob shrieked. "Who came up with that stupid idea?"

The older fiend looked at him closely. Their captor's eyes light up and he joyfully shouted, "Prince Bob! Your Highness, we thought you were dead!"

"Yeah, it's a long story, but right now, I want to know who gave the order to start arresting people, Joe."

Joe flinched. "I'm sorry, Your Highness, but the word came from King Ralph himself. You'll have to take it up with him."

"What about my friends?" Bob's voice was cold.

"They'll have to be put with the other prisoner."

The Tonberry mob led Auron, Ria, Bob, and Rikku deep into the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth. "Hey, I don't remember these tunnels," the thief said as they trudged through the darkness.

Bob turned to look at them and replied, "That's because we usually use illusions to hide our homes, but something bad must be going on if they're not working anymore."

"Like what?" Ria wanted to know, staring at the strange-looking living quarters of the Tonberry Nation.

"I don't know, but I'm going to have a word with my father about it."

They came to a stop at a large doorway obstructed by a wall of light. "Okay, prisoners, you are to go in that room and wait until you stand trial," Joe told them.

"I trust it will be a fair one?" Auron's gaze was grim.

Joe glared at him. "I don't know what you're used to, human, but we have a different way of dealing with those who corrupt the sacred offices of the Tonberries."

Ria, Rikku, and Auron walked through the wall of light, and looked around their prison. It was a large, dead-end cave, and it was empty, save for a few pieces of furniture. In a dark corner sat a rather haggard-looking man. Rikku eyed the stranger carefully, and called out to him. "Wakka, is that you?"

The man looked up at the group and shouted, "Rikku, Auron," he paused when he saw Ria, "I don't know who you are, but I'm glad to see you anyway."

Wakka was a tall, muscular, Hawaiian-looking man with bright red hair worn in a crest. He wore a yellow outfit that, to Ria, looked vaguely like a garbage man's uniform, and a pair of sandals. "So you've come to rescue me, ya?"

"We didn't even know you were down here, Wakka," Auron told him. "We met Lulu in Bevelle, and she told us that you had gone off for some extreme blitzball several months ago."

"Oh, yeah? How is she doing?"

"A lot better than us, at the moment," Rikku replied.

"You mean you've been captured, too?" Wakka was incredulous.

The next little while was spent telling the blitz captain about the journey they had, and about Bob. When they finished, the big man sighed and said, "Yeah, well I've been down here for a couple of months now. They were going to try me as a spy, but then this stupid war broke out, and I've been put on hold. It's really annoying, ya?"

"Not as annoying as some things, ya?" Ria muttered to herself.

Meanwhile, Bob had been led to the throne room, where King Ralph was waiting for him. Ralph was slightly larger than his son was, and had a golden crown floating six inches above his head. He set his gold lantern and his trademark kitchen knife down and embraced his once-missing heir. "Bob, I'm so happy to see you again! Those barbarians didn't hurt you, did they?"

Bob drew away from his father. "Barbarians? Those were my friends you just threw in jail!"

"You mean they didn't kidnap you?"

"No, dad, and whoever else you have in there is probably innocent, too. You need to let them all go."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, son."

"Why not?" Bob was becoming testy.

"Varuna is back," Ralph sadly replied.

"But I thought that he and the rest of his kind were banished to the deepest part of the Omega Caves."

"Well, whatever's been corrupting the pyreflies has also broken our seals. We can't even hide our homes anymore, and Varuna and his little Imp friends have been causing all kinds of mayhem."

"What about Marlene? Is she okay?"

"Marlene is just fine, Your Highness," said a female voice.

This Tonberry was slightly shorter than Bob, and she was lighter in color than the rest of her race. "I've missed you a lot."

"I've missed you, too," the prince replied.

"Where have you been?" she demanded, while Ralph chuckled.

"I was off helping some human friends of mine, and I still am," he explained.

He relayed his whole story to King Ralph and Marlene. Once he was finished, the king thoughtfully said, "I wonder if your friends would be willing to help us get rid of Varuna."

"Yeah, if you let them out."

Suddenly, a rumbling shook the caves, and Marlene said, "Well, we'd better hurry up, then."

Auron, Rikku, Ria, and Wakka looked around as their prison started shaking. "What the hell is going on?" the sorceress griped.

"I don't know, but we'd better take advantage of it," the thief replied as the light barrier vanished.

The four of them escaped from their prison and ran into a battlefield. Tonberries and Imps battled each other, their Karma and Thundaga attacks crackling through the air. "We've got to help them!" Ria cried, retrieving the Starblade from the now-abandoned guard post.

"Why?" Wakka asked after he found his blitzball.

"Because I said so, that's why!" the sorceress belligerently replied, rushing to the aid of the Tonberries.

"She's kind of bossy, ya?" the blitz captain said to Rikku.

"That's why Auron loves her," she answered before entering the fray.

Without a word, Auron strode into the battle, and finally, Wakka sighed and joined the fight.

The four of them fought their way through the army of flying spell-casters, and eventually made their way to the throne room, where Ralph, Bob, and Marlene battled with Varuna. He was a large, black demon with inverted wings and glowing orange eyes. The three Tonberries fought bravely, but Varuna was clearly gaining the upper hand. Without a word, the demon blasted Bob and Marlene across the room with a Tornado spell, leaving King Ralph to face him alone.

"Surrender, fool," Varuna commanded in a guttural voice. "Surrender, lest I slay thee and all of thy subjects."

"Never!" Ralph shouted in defiance. "Our ancestors refused to be your slaves, and I stand by their decision."

The Tonberry King charged the demon, but was caught halfway by a Blizzaga spell."

"DAD!" Bob shouted, rushing to his father's aid.

"Thus, the Tonberry Fool and his son are both destroyed," Varuna cackled, raising his claw.

"NO!" Ria screamed.

The demon turned around and saw the sorceress standing in the doorway, her eyes burning with determination. "I won't allow it!" she said, fury clear in every line of her body.

"And who art thou, wench, to defy me with such anger?" Varuna demanded, amused by her courage.

"I am Ria, friend of the Tonberry Nation, and I challenge you to a magical duel! Now, fight me, or be forever branded as a coward! The choice is yours," she yelled, striding toward the fiend.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Auron asked her, his voice concerned.

She smiled back at him. "Trust me."

Varuna laughed with murderous glee and called out, "Come then, human. I accept thy challenge, and once thou art dead, I will remember thee as the bold wench who dared defy one of her betters."

The demon lashed out a claw and hissed, "Burn, wench."

Ria was engulfed by a wave of flame as the fiend's Firaga spell exploded beneath her feet. Varuna started to laugh in triumph, but his celebration was short-lived, because the sorceress stood unharmed in the inferno. "Nice try, bastard!" she retorted, raising her staff in the air. "Waterga!"

A deluge of water rocketed out of the floor, knocking the demon off his feet. He quickly recovered and cast another spell. This time lightning rained from the ceiling, but still Ria was unharmed. "What foul witchery is this?" Varuna growled at the ineffectiveness of his spells.

The two mages battled this way for quite some time, until Ria finally ran out of magic. "Ha!" the now-tired Varuna hissed. "It looks like I am the victor."

"I don't think so!" Bob shouted, stabbing the demon in the back of the leg. "Marlene, NOW!"

The female Tonberry rushed forward and plunged her kitchen knife into Varuna's throat, and the demon died with a gurgling sigh. Afterward, it collapsed into a cloud of corrupted pyreflies, and everyone rushed to Ralph's aid. The king was not in very good shape. "Dad, are you all right?" Bob whispered.

"No, I'm dying, son," Ralph weakly replied. "Before I go, though, I have something I have to tell you."

"Don't talk like that!" the little fiend shook his head. "You're going to be okay."

The king chuckled. "Bob, I just want you to know how proud I am of you and Marlene. You two are going to be the best rulers our nation has had in quite some time. Just do me one favor?"

"Anything Dad."

"Name your first kid after me."

With that said, Ralph the Tonberry King passed away. The fallen monarch transformed into a cloud of pyreflies that did not corrupt before vanishing. When the tiny lights disappeared, all that remained were the crown, knife, and lantern. "Oh, Dad, no!" Bob wailed.

Ria pulled the grieving fiend close, and held him as he cried. Wakka solemnly comforted Rikku, who silently cried into the big man's stomach, while Auron closed his eye and bowed his head. Marlene retrieved the golden crown and walked over to Bob, who still had tears running down his face. "Bob, this belongs to you now," she told him softly, placing it on his head.

The rest of the Tonberries emerged from their various battlegrounds, also mourning the death of Ralph. Joe, who was apparently the captain of the Tonberry Guards saluted Bob. "Long live King Bob!" he intoned.

"LONG LIVE THE KING!" the rest of them roared in unison.

I know that was really long, but the last chapter was somewhat short, so I made up for it. I hope you didn't get too bored with it. You know, I almost made myself cry writing this, so I hope it moves you, too. Anyway, keep reviewing and I'll see you later.


	19. Ch 19 Guardian

I want to thank LadyMercy, Xmaster, Delphine Pryde, and Insane Child for their reviews. Okay, I won't bother you any further, so let's get started, shall we?

Chapter 19: Guardian

It had been several days since King Ralph passed away, and now the new Tonberry King, Bob, awaited the final preparations for his coronation in mournful silence. "Ria?" he called, his voice heavy with sadness.

"What is it Bob?" she answered, walking over to the little fiend.

"How could you stand losing your family?" he asked, the tracks of tears still evident on his little green face. "It hurts so badly!"

"And it always will," she replied, holding him close, "The pain will lessen over time, but it doesn't ever completely go away."

"Oh, Ria, I miss him so much!"

She stepped back from him and put her hand on his shoulder. "I know what you mean. Not a day goes by that I don't think about how much I miss my family. If you and Auron hadn't been there for me, I don't know what I would have done. Bob, I know it hurts, but you're not alone. Auron, Rikku, and I are here for you, and so is Marlene…and I'm pretty sure that Pac-Man is, too."

"Wait, who is Pac-Man?"

"That's my nickname for Wakka," she replied with a wicked grin.

…

Later, the entire Tonberry Nation, along with their four human heroes, assembled in the Throne Room. Bob, followed by Marlene and Joe, climbed up onto the dais, and the milling crowd fell into silence. Joe, the captain of the Tonberry Guard, turned to the new Tonberry King and bowed deeply, saying, "Your Majesty, I served under your father for fifty years as the chief of his guards. Now, my troops and I wish to pledge our loyalty to you."

He and all the Tonberries in the first few rows raised their knives in salute. "All hail King Bob!" the little soldiers shouted in unison.

Marlene stepped forward, carrying a gold lantern in her hands. "This," she announced, holding it up for all to see, "This is the King's Lamp. Along with the Gold Crown, this lamp represents the office of the Tonberry King."

The female Tonberry turned to Bob. "Your father's flame is gone now," she said, a single tear falling down her cheek. "Yours must be the light that guides our people in this time of darkness."

The new King held his silver lamp close to the gold one, and the little flame, seemingly of its own accord, transported itself into its new home. The ceremony completed, Bob turned to face his cheering people. "Everyone, I thank you all for wanting me to be your King, but I cannot stay here for long. My people, all of Spira is in grave danger."

The Tonberries gasped and started muttering amongst themselves. "What is he doing?" Rikku whispered, her eyes wide with shock.

"What he thinks is right," was Auron's only response.

Bob waited a moment, and then raised his hand for silence. "The same evil that has threatened our caves, the one who freed Varuna, is doing the same to all the peoples of Spira…" he looked at Ria. "…And to another world that has done nothing to merit attacking. This evil is caused by none other than Seymour Guado!"

"How is that possible?" one older Tonberry cried. "The humans sent him to the Farplane when Sin was defeated!"

"I don't know how he's returned, but I intend to go out and stop him, you have my word on that," he replied.

"But who will lead us while you're gone?" shouted another.

"I'm so glad you asked," Bob said, reaching inside the sleeve of his robe. The little fiend pulled out a delicate looking gold tiara, and turned to Marlene. "This crown once belonged to my mother," he stated. "Marlene is my betrothed, and I give this to her. She will rule in my place until I return."

"Bob are you out of your mind?" she hissed as he placed the tiara on her head.

"Probably, but you know how to run the kingdom better than I do, anyway, so it's not really a big deal," he told her.

Everyone turned to Marlene and bowed respectfully. "Boy, this is really crazy, ya?" Wakka thought aloud.

…

"So, when are you supposed to be leaving, Your Majesty?" Ria asked with a grin as they ate dinner.

Bob winced. "Don't do that! You guys can still call me by my regular name."

"But Your Majesty, we wouldn't DREAM of offending the king," Rikku giggled.

"Very funny. Anyway, I was planning on leaving with all of you," he replied.

"Hey Bob, give my compliments to the chef, ya?" Wakka said, eating one of the odd-looking, but delicious, Tonberry dishes. "What is this, anyway?"

Ria gave him a slight smile. "One of the chefs told me that it's braised Epaaj liver, Pac-Man."

Wakka set down his fork, pushed his plate away, and in a small voice, said, "I think I'm full now."

"She was just kidding, Wakka," Bob told him. "Actually, it's stuffed Thorn caps."

The blitzball captain gave Ria a baleful stare, and she politely asked, "Is something wrong, Pac-Man?"

He didn't say anything, and Rikku gave the two of them a curious look. "Why do you keep calling him Pac-Man, Ria?"

"There's this game on Earth that goes by that name, and the little character you play with constantly yells 'Wakkawakkawakka' as he moves," the sorceress explained. "You don't mind, do you, Pac-Man? The sound IS your name, after all."

Wakka got up and stormed off. "Wow, he looked really angry, are you sure you didn't go overboard?" the thief asked, staring after him.

"Probably, but he and his 'ya's were starting to get on my nerves. I'll apologize to him later." She took a bite of her dinner. "Besides, it's not my fault that he didn't know that Epaaj don't have livers."

Auron had sat in silence during the whole exchange, lost in thought. Finally, he asked, "Ria, how did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"When you fought with Varuna, most of his spells had no effect on you, and I want to know how that was possible."

"Yeah, how did you do that Ria?" Bob wanted to know.

The sorceress held out the Tetra Bangle for everyone's inspection. "Lulu gave this to me right before we left Bevelle. She said that she had worn it on Yuna's pilgrimage and that she wanted me to have it," she told them. "Actually, I had no idea whether the thing was going to work or not, but I'm glad it did."

"Ria, you're absolutely nuts, you know that don't you?" Rikku said, her voice full of awe.

"Yeah, so they tell me. Anyway, when are we supposed to be leaving?"

"Tomorrow," Auron replied.

…

Ria explored the once-hidden tunnels of the Tonberry Nation, amazed at how the little fiends had kept their civilization secret from the rest of the world for so long. The sorceress wandered, lost in thought, until she bumped into someone. "Hey, watch where you're going!" she shouted, not recognizing who it was at first.

"You bumped into me!" It was Wakka.

"Oh, it's you…" she said flatly.

"Hey, you don't have to say it like that!" he replied. "What is your problem, anyway? I haven't done anything to you, but you've been real rude to me ever since we met."

"I'm sorry Wakka, really I am, but I just don't like you," she told him. "I'm sorry I was rude, and I'm sorry that it has to be that way, but that's how it is."

The big man gaped at her for a moment, and then said, "So, you don't want me to help you guys fight Seymour?"

"Wakka," she sighed, "I'm not your boss; you can come to Zanarkand with us if you want, but just don't expect everything to be all sweetness and light between us."

He nodded. "I understand. Anyway, have you seen Rikku?"

"She's playing with some of the little Tonberries out by the old fayth chamber. Maybe you should go teach them how to play blitzball?"

He laughed aloud at that. "Yeah, maybe there'll be a Tonberry team at the next tournament."

Wakka left, and Ria resumed her explorations. She took a couple of left turns and found a large steam-filled corridor. "What is this place?" she wondered aloud.

"These are the hot springs," a lone Tonberry told her. "We set walls up around each spring in case somebody wanted to use one as a trysting room."

"So you can have some privacy, huh?" she was surprised. "Too bad Bob's never heard of that concept," she muttered.

"Oh, His Majesty's only thirty, so he hasn't quite learned to be tactful," the Tonberry apologized.

Ria did a double take. "Did you say thirty?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you don't know: we Tonberries age at half the rate of you humans, so really His Majesty is about the same age as your Al Bhed friend."

"Oh…" she weakly replied.

"Maybe you should inform him that you would like some privacy. I'm sure he'd understand you then," he chuckled. "Well, the springs get hotter the further down you go, and there are privacy markers on the doors, if you need them. See you later."

Ria thanked the helpful fiend and walked on. The Tonberry watched her go, and whispered, "Your Majesty, you can come out now."

Bob came out of his hiding place behind a stalagmite, and asked, "Fred, did it work?"

"Yeah, she'll find that grim-looking friend of hers and hopefully something will happen," Fred giggled.

"I hope so. I've been trying to get them together, but they're so damn stubborn!"

"Maybe it's because you keep interrupting them, Your Majesty."

Bob gave him a hard look. "Are you making fun of me, Fred?"

"Of course not, Your Majesty," he replied with an absolutely straight face.

Ria checked several doors as she walked, but all of them had a marker that read, "occupied". Finally, the sorceress came upon one of the middle rooms that had no marker, and she walked in. She had pulled her boots off and had started on her shirt, but stopped when she realized that she was not alone. Through the steam, Ria saw Auron soaking in the pool, with his back to her. He stretched, shoulder muscles rippling, got to his feet, and turned around.

"Ria, what are you doing here?" he asked, completely oblivious to the fact that he was nude.

"I thought that this one was empty," she stammered, her face turning red. "I guess I was wrong."

He smiled at her. "Well, why don't you stay a while?"

Resolutely keeping her eyes on his face, she sighed, "Why not? It's not like I have anything I need to be doing right now."

"Here, I'll even turn my back while you get in" he offered, turning away.

"You're enjoying this!" she accused.

"I find it funny how you blush like a maiden in these situations."

"Maybe that's because I AM a maiden, you ninny!" she snapped, sinking herself up to her neck in the hot water.

Auron turned around in surprise. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize…"

"It's all right; there's no way you could have known, anyway. Besides, I think we've been set up."

"By whom?"

She grinned. "I'll give you three guesses, but you're only going to need one."

"Bob…It was Bob, wasn't it?" he groaned.

"Exactly."

"I think that I'll strangle him before all of this is over," the swordsman muttered.

"I'll probably help you," she replied, giving him a sidelong glance. "You know Auron; you have to be the only man I know who can pull off having long hair like that without it looking like a mullet."

"Gee, thanks a lot," he replied.

"You're welcome." Ria smiled sweetly, reached over, and tugged his now-loose ponytail. "I've wanted to do that for a while now."

Auron caught her hand and pulled her close. "Oh, really?" he asked, "And what else have you wanted to do?"

She kissed him and replied, "Well, here we are, alone, so I'm pretty sure we can figure something out."

…

The next day, the five of them prepared to leave the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth, but Marlene stopped them. "Wait," she cried, running to catch up with them.

"Marlene, what is it?" Bob asked. "We have to go now."

"I know, I know, but I just wanted to wish you all good luck."

She hugged him tightly, and whispered, "You'd better come back, Bob. If you die, I swear I'll kill you."

"I will," he promised, returning her embrace.

They climbed through the steep tunnel that led to the slopes of Mt. Gagazet. The entire mountain was covered with snow and ice, but the summit was obscured by a black cloud that practically reeked of evil. "This place has gotten kind of spooky, ya?" Wakka said.

"Where have all the Ronso gone?" Rikku wondered, shivering in the icy wind.

Ria pointed at the evil-looking cloud. "I think that they've run away from that."

Suddenly, a roar rang out through the frosty air, and a large beast dropped from the sky. It was nearly seven feet tall, and covered in dark blue fur. It had a white mane tied up in a topknot, and a long, tufted tail. Its face was leonine and its gold eyes were fiercely intelligent. The sorceress pulled the Starblade into a defensive stance, and watched the intruder carefully. "Kimahri!" Rikku cried, happily latching onto the strange looking intruder.

"What is that?" Ria said, eyeing Kimahri suspiciously.

"This is Kimahri Ronso," the thief explained. "Kimahri, this is Ria. She's not from Spira, so she's never seen a Ronso before."

The Ronso blinked and said to Ria, "Kimahri is glad to meet you."

The sorceress put away her weapon and replied, "I'm happy to meet you, too."

He looked at the others and smiled a frightful, fang-filled smile. "Kimahri is glad to see all his friends again."

"Hey, we're all happy, ya?" Wakka said, "But where are all the other Ronso?"

"We were forced to leave this sacred mountain. The darkness that surrounds the peak has gotten worse," Kimahri sadly replied.

"Has anyone tried to go to Zanarkand?" Auron asked.

The Ronso nodded. "Many have gone; human and Ronso both, but none have ever returned. The Guardian saw to that."

"What guardian? Who is he?" the swordsman demanded.

"Kimahri does not know. Travelers go up Gagazet, but only one ever came back. That one told us that there was a Guardian blocking the path, and that they have killed everyone that comes close."

"What happened to the survivor?" Bob quietly asked.

"He died. His body was badly burned. Kimahri is surprised he made it back. After that, the Ronso decided to leave. There are not that many of us left, thanks to Seymour Guado."

"It always comes back to Seymour, doesn't it?" Ria sighed.

"What is this? Seymour has not come back, has he?" the Ronso demanded.

They told Kimahri all that they knew, and when the tale was finished, the Ronso's face was troubled. "This is not right. Seymour was sent to the Farplane, and he should not have returned," he growled.

"We know, and we're going to Zanarkand to put a stop to whatever he's up to," Rikku told him. "Do you want to come with us?"

He shook his head. "Kimahri must stay and defend what's left of our home."

"Don't worry, we'll take care of Seymour and his stupid Guardian!" the thief said, striking an absurdly heroic pose.

"Yeah!" Bob cheered, waving his knife in the air. "We're going to make them pay for everything."

Well, that's all for chapter 19. I hope that everyone enjoyed it. For all the Wakka fans out there: DO NOT FLAME ME! You can't honestly expect Ria to like everyone she meets, and hey, she did apologize to him for her rudeness.


	20. Ch 20 Trials of the Mountain

First, I want to thank rikku-thief, Insane Child, Xmaster, Kiki, Kyanos, and Chaka for their reviews. I'm also glad that everyone understands that Ria doesn't like Wakka. I personally haven't really liked him ever since he compared the destruction of Home to happy festival fireworks. Anyway, my mouth (or is it fingers?) is starting to run away with me, so let me shut up now.

Chapter 20: Trials of the Mountain

The group climbed the snowy slopes of sacred Mount Gagazet, hoping to reach Zanarkand before it was too late to stop whatever it was that Seymour was planning. Scaling the mountain was a lengthy process, however, and now, for the second night running, the driving snow forced the five of them to take shelter in a shallow cave.

"It is absolutely freezing out there!" Bob said, shivering in the icy gloom.

"You can always go back, you know," Auron told him, irritated at the delay.

The Tonberry King shook his head. "No, I can't go back. I have to go with you guys and make Seymour pay for everything he's done."

Meanwhile, Rikku pulled all sorts of odd items out of her belt pouches and finally took one apart. "What are you doing?" Ria asked, watching her friend's activity with great interest.

"I'm taking a fire grenade apart," the thief replied with a look of intense concentration on her face.

"Hey, isn't that kind of dangerous?" Wakka looked worried.

"Yeah, but if I don't, then we won't have anything to make a fire," she explained. "Now stop interrupting me; you're making me lose my concentration."

The Al Bhed finished her project, and a tiny flame lit the cramped confines of the cave with a warm, sanguine glow. "It's not going to last long," she told them, "But it should warm this place up enough for us to sleep."

Ria was not particularly happy with her current situation, because she was stuck in the middle of two of her least favorite things in the entire universe: extreme cold and heights. She kept her opinions to herself, however, and sat with her back against the wall. Auron watched her suppress a shiver out of the corner of his eye, and took his coat off. "Here," he said, handing it to Ria.

"Give it to Rikku," she flatly replied, shaking her head.

"I'm giving it to you," he told her, as stubbornly as ever.

"Rikku needs it more," the sorceress' tone grew cold.

"No, I'm fine…" the thief started to say, but trailed off when she saw the look on Ria's face.

"I'm bigger than she is, and I'm more warmly dressed, so give the coat to Rikku."

"I have the perfect solution for this," Bob interrupted, seeing that the situation was about to explode.

He snatched the coat away from Auron and spread the purloined article across the two of them like a blanket. "There," the little fiend said in a satisfied tone, "Now both of you can be warm, and Auron can stop giving everyone such an ugly look."

The coat wasn't big enough to cover the both of them effectively, but Bob seemed to think that he had done a good job, so no one burst his bubble. Auron shook his head and sat down away from everyone else, resolutely closing his eye. Wakka was grinning and he looked like he wanted to say something, so Ria gave him a frosty stare and asked, "Yes, was there something you wanted to say, Pac-Man?"

"No, I'll keep my mouth shut," the blitzball player replied.

"Why are you so angry anyway, Ria?" Rikku wanted to know.

"Yeah, didn't you and Auron enjoy yourselves in the hot springs the other day?" Bob chimed in, his eyes twinkling merrily.

"What are you talking about?" Wakka asked with a confused expression.

The Tonberry King let out a long-suffering sigh and whispered something inaudible into the big man's ear. Wakka's eyes went wide, and then he smiled broadly. "Oh…" he chuckled.

Ria suddenly found herself wishing that she had a rolled up Sunday's copy of _The New York Times_, but she couldn't decide whether it was Wakka or Bob that she wanted to hit first. "Yes, we did enjoy ourselves, but it wasn't what you think it was, so you can just get your filthy minds out of the friggin' gutter." She was extremely angry, and it showed. "I know you set that whole thing up, and I know you mean well, Bob, but it's not any of your business whether I sleep with someone or not!"

"I…I'm sorry, Ria," the little fiend quietly replied, clearly taken aback at his friend's vehemence.

"Forget it. Let's just get some sleep, okay?"

A little while later, Wakka and Bob were snoring loudly, and keeping Rikku and Ria awake. Auron, too, was asleep, but he was nowhere near as violent as the Tonberry and the blitzball captain. "Ria?" the thief called softly.

"Yes?" the sorceress replied without opening her eyes.

"I know you really don't want to talk about it, but I've really got to know: did you…and Auron…you know?" She fidgeted as she asked the question.

Ria sighed. "We came close, but no, we didn't. Auron said that he didn't want me to do something that I might regret later, so we stopped."

"Why would you regret it?"

"Probably because he thinks that I'll be sent back to Earth after all this is over." The sorceress smiled, "He's got to be the most self-controlled man in the entire universe."

"But what if you can't go back to Earth?" the thief persisted, "What will you do, then?"

"I honestly don't know, Rikku. My family is gone and the shop I worked at was destroyed, so I don't really have anything to go back to. Of course, I don't really have anywhere to go in Spira, either, so I don't really know what I'm going to do."

"Well, if you can't go home, and you can't go anywhere else, then you can come with me," Rikku told her.

"What?"

"Yeah! You can come with me, and when the Celsius is finished, the two of us and Yunie can go look for records of Spira's past and stuff."

"Oh, something sort of like 'Indiana Jones'?"

"What's 'Indiana Jones'?" the thief was curious.

Ria shook her head and said, "Never mind."

The next morning, the five of them left the cave and continued to climb the mountain. They turned around a bend and found a huge, plantlike fiend blocking their path. It was large, with mauve colored petals, and long clawed tentacles waving in the air. "Why in the world is a Mandragora out here on the slopes instead of in the caves?" Bob wondered aloud.

"It's really weird, ya?" Wakka replied.

The plant monster sensed their presence and immediately went on the offensive. The Mandragora flailed about with its whip-like tendrils, while the group fought back with their various weapons and spells. The creature let out a terrible scream as Auron's katana bit deeply into its side. "Hey, I think this thing is almost dead!" Rikku shouted as she used the cover of Wakka's blitzball assault to dodge the poisonous claws.

Suddenly, the fiend hopped up and down, opened its petals and released a cloud of toxic pollen into the air. Ria, although partially blinded, lashed out with the Starblade, and managed to distract it long enough for Bob to use his now-enhanced Karma attack. The creature died, but no one had noticed that the dust had affected Wakka's mind. "FIEND!" he shouted, throwing his blitzball at the Tonberry King as hard as he could.

Unfortunately, Wakka's aim was way off, and he bashed the sorceress in the back of the head with the ball. Ria keeled over like a felled tree and did not move. "Oh, no!" Rikku shrieked, rushing to her fallen friend's aid.

…Flash…

Ria was back in the hot springs with Auron, and she felt as if her soul was about to take wings and fly. She loved this man so much, more than she had ever loved anyone else, and it felt as if her heart would shatter from such a strong emotion. Suddenly, Auron released her from his embrace and pulled away from her. "No, this isn't right," he said, not looking at her.

"What are you talking about?" the sorceress was bewildered.

"I don't want to force you into this," he told her.

"You don't want to 'force' me? Auron, I've got plenty of ways to keep someone from pressing their unwanted attentions on me, so don't give me that line, okay?" Ria shot him a suspicious look. "You aren't having some kind of guilt trip over you being fifteen years older than me, is it?"

He chuckled at that. "No, that doesn't have anything to do with it. I just don't want you to do something that you might regret later, that's all."

"I see…"

"We don't know what is going to happen after we face Seymour," he continued, "I may have to go back to the Farplane, or I might not, but you'd be sent back to your world. I don't want to do this, only to lose you later."

Ria closed her eyes and whispered, "I understand, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."

Suddenly, all of it seemed so incredibly funny, and the sorceress began to laugh uncontrollably. Auron watched her warily, thinking that she had lost her mind. "Are you okay?" he asked, uncertainty coloring his voice.

"Yeah…" she gasped, "I'm fine. It's just so funny."

"What is?"

"There are all these corny romantic books and movies back on Earth, where the girl tells her love all of these reasons why they should wait…and…" Another round of laughter overcame Ria.

"And?" the swordsman was curious now.

"Just now, you sounded just like one of those girls!" she finished.

Auron gaped at her, and his expression only added to the hilarity. Now the sorceress was positively howling with mirth and tears were streaming down her face. Finally, the guardian chuckled, and soon the two of them were laughing as if it was going out of style. They finally calmed down after a few minutes, and Ria leaned over and playfully tugged his ponytail again. "I hate to admit it, but you're right: we should just wait, but that doesn't mean that we can't just sit and enjoy each other's company, does it?"

…Flash…

Ria awoke from her memory/dream to a splitting headache that made her wince. "Ria, are you okay?" Bob asked, concern written all over his face.

The sorceress opened her mouth to ask what had happened, but no sound came out. She tried again, but still no sound could be heard. "You've been Silenced," Auron explained, handing her a Potion for her head.

Ria drank the blue liquid and her headache vanished, but her voice was still gone. She gave the group a questioning look, and Bob said, "The Mandragora's pollen Silenced you, but it Confused Wakka, and he whacked you in the head with the blitzball. It's okay, though, because Auron fixed him."

"Fixed me? Nearly broke my jaw is more like it," the blitz captain muttered, rubbing one side of his face.

"I think we have a problem, you guys," Rikku said, rummaging through her belt pouches.

"What is it now?" Auron sighed.

"I don't have any more Echo Screens," the thief replied.

"Couldn't you just mix one up?" Bob suggested.

She shook her head. "I've got six Potions, four Ethers, a Phoenix Down, an Antidote, and more Elemental Grenades than I care to think about. None of that will make what I need."

Finally, everyone noticed that Wakka had a rather smug expression on his face. "Wakka, do you have an Echo Screen?" the thief asked.

"Yeah, but it's my last one," he replied with a grin.

Ria walked up to the big man and held out her hand expectantly. Wakka looked at Silenced sorceress for a moment, as if he were trying to make up his mind and said, "She's a lot better this way, ya?"

Bob sighed and started backing away, pulling on Rikku's arm as he went. "We might want to give her a little room," he advised the Al Bhed.

Ria's eyes flashed with anger as she stared at Wakka. He was laughing hysterically, as though her misfortune was the funniest thing he'd seen in a while. She waited for him to finish, and when he did, she smiled sweetly, gave him a rude gesture, and promptly kicked him in the balls. Wakka's eyes nearly popped out of his head, and he hit the snow without making a sound. "Are you happy now?" Auron asked, carefully keeping out of Ria's long reach.

The sorceress pointed at the prone blitzball captain and made a slicing motion across her throat. Rikku walked over to Wakka, took the Echo Screen, and handed it to Ria, saying, "He brought it on himself, the big meanie."

Ria opened the vial, and a crystalline bubble surrounded her head for a moment, and then vanished. Now that her voice was back, the angry sorceress gave vent to her rage. "You stupid bastard," she spat, her voice full of fury. "This is not the time or the place for you to carry out your little vendetta against me! The next time you try to pull something like that, I swear to God that I will tear your arm off and shove it up your ass! You'll have a whole lot of fun trying to play blitzball then, won't you, Pac-Man?"

She blistered his ears with several more vile and physically impossible threats, and then turned on her heel and stalked off, leaving the rest of the group to stare after her in amazement. Wakka finally regained his composure and said, "Why did you guys let me do that?"

"We didn't let you do anything," Auron told him, "You're a grown man; you don't need our permission to do or say something. I hope for your sake that you don't pull another stunt like that, because I'm pretty sure that she'll make good on those threats next time."

With that, the swordsman walked away, leaving the three of them to catch up. "Wakka, that wasn't exactly the smartest thing you've ever done, you know that, don't you?" Rikku asked, giving the limping man a sidelong glance.

"Tell me about it!" he replied with a grimace of pain. "If I had known that she would do that, then I wouldn't have said anything, ya?"

"It doesn't take much to set her off," Bob told him. "You should've heard her back on Bikanel Island. I didn't even know that some of the stuff she said was biologically possible for humans!"

By the time the group made it to the plateau below the caves, Ria's temper cooled and she finally stopped glowering at Wakka. "Hey, isn't this the place where we fought Seymour?" Rikku asked, looking around at the familiar surroundings.

"Yes, it is, and it looks like his 'guardian' has been here, too," Auron replied, impassively staring at the bones that were scattered about.

Out of nowhere, a group of corrupted pyreflies appeared, but unlike the ones that spawned Shadow Seymour, these regarded the group with a strange sadness. The red and black lights swirled and pulsed, and then took on the form of a woman. She had long platinum hair and somber golden eyes. Her skin was very fair, even though she was clad only in a blue bikini, and she slowly approached the group.

"You…it can't be…" Auron trailed off, watching the woman with stunned recognition.

"Who is that?" Ria asked, her voice quiet.

"That is Lady Yunalesca, the Reaper of Souls," Rikku solemnly replied. "She died a thousand years ago and was the first person to defeat Sin."

"Afterward, she resided in Zanarkand, where she turned guardians into the fayth of the Final Aeon," Wakka added. "But we defeated her, so she should be in the Farplane."

"Yes, I should be," Yunalesca said.

"Then what are you still doing here?" Auron asked, barely concealed anger marring his otherwise stolid features.

"You still carry your hatred for me, even after you and your friends avenged your death? I'm touched."

Ria was shocked. "You mean that she's the one who…"

"Yes." Auron did not look at the sorceress. "She is the one who killed me."

"If you were defeated, then why have you come back?" Bob asked the undead woman.

Yunalesca held out her hands, and everyone saw that a hideous, light-devouring black substance shackled her wrists. "I have been bound to this world, and I cannot go back to the Farplane until I am either defeated, or released."

"Seymour is forcing you to be his guardian?" Rikku asked. "How?"

The summoner smiled coldly. "If you can defeat me, then I will tell you everything that I know. If not, then you will die."

She raised her hands, and the world shifted from the panoramic mountainside to a dark and eerie starscape. Yunalesca's shackles pulsed, and the summoner's form changed. Her pale skin turned deep, bloody crimson, and her hair changed into a swarm of black snakes that writhed and hissed malevolently. Her fingers twisted into long ebony talons, as a couple of extra pairs of arms emerged below the usual ones. Icy blue flames wreathed the now-demonic summoner as her eyes lit up with a leprous white glow. "Now…" she hissed, her voice now cold and rasping. "Defend yourselves."

Yunalesca lashed at the group with a wave of acid green fire, which they all just barely managed to evade. Auron closed in on the summoner, and struck at her with his blade, but she somehow escaped his attack, and retaliated with a backhanded swipe that sent the swordsman flying. Wakka used the momentary distraction to hit her with his blitzball, but then she turned around and fired a pulse of dark energy at him. Rikku lobbed a grenade at Yunalesca, and turned to check on her friend. "Hey, Wakka, are you all right?" she asked, just as another dark pulse barely missed the two of them.

"Yeah," he grunted, getting to his feet. "It'll take more than that to keep me down, ya?"

Meanwhile, Bob was circling around the battle, looking for his chance to attack the summoner, while Ria raised the Starblade into the air and called out to her brother. Yunalesca, however, struck the sorceress with a sphere of blue flame, shouting, "I don't think so!"

The fire didn't harm her, but Ria was now unable to call Alexander into the battle, so she tried the next thing that came to mind. Diamond white light filled her vision and caused the stellar pattern on the Starblade to glow as she yelled "Holy!"

Several orbs of sacred light rained down from the sky, smashing Yunalesca, and leaving some strange silvery burns on her body. "Hey, she's weak against Holy magic!" the sorceress called to her friends.

Yunalesca snarled in anger and shrieked, "Hell's Judgment!"

A large, lurid orange glyph lit up beneath the sorceress, and a wave of virulent yellow and purple energy shot up from the ground in an explosion of power. Bob sneaked up behind Yunalesca as she watched Ria fall to the floor, and he quickly slashed her across the backs of her knees with his kitchen knife, spilling bright pink blood everywhere. The summoner quickly turned around and caught the Tonberry with two of her arms and pummeled him with her other four fists. Bob tried to defend himself, but there were too many arms, and she quickly beat him senseless. Wakka and Rikku tried to come to the little fiend's aid, but Yunalesca dropped him, turned on his would be rescuers, and quickly cast Demi, smashing them into the floor. "Apparently, none of you were strong enough to defeat…AHHH!" Her triumphant cry suddenly cut off as Auron's katana erupted from her chest.

"Apparently, you were wrong," he snarled, twisting the blade with a sickening crunch.

Yunalesca coughed up some bright pink blood, and let out a cry as a wave of darkness engulfed her. The starscape vanished, and the group returned to the mountainside, worse for the wear, but otherwise healthy. The black glow that surrounded the summoner vanished, and the real Yunalesca reappeared. She was ghostly now, but she was no longer shackled. "You've broken the darkness that bound me…" she whispered in awe. "You are now free to ask me what you will…"

Okay, that's all you get for now, so review and tell me what you think. I know you're probably all thinking, "Why the hell did she bring Yunalesca back?" and the answer is because I don't think she suffered enough when she got her ass kicked the first time, so I decided to kick it again. Anyway, I'll see you all next chapter.


	21. Ch 21 Earth and Spira

I'd like to thank Chaka, Kiki, Xmaster, LadyMercy, and Insane Child for their reviews. Yes, I know Yunalesca was beaten rather easily, but the only reason I had any difficulties with her on FFX is that she like to cheat her ass off with that stupid Mega Death attack. Once I set someone up with some Deathproof armor, I pretty much beat her like a four year-old in Kmart. Anyway, here's the new chapter.

Chapter 21: Earth and Spira

Yunalesca was no longer bound by Seymour's vile magic, and her form became ghostly. She stared at the group with her sad golden eyes and said, "I suppose that you want to know everything, don't you?"

The group nodded mutely, and the summoner spoke again. "For you to understand how Seymour was able to do what he's done, I must explain something else to you, first. The universe is made up of a countless number of planes of existence, and they lay upon one another much like the pages of a book. Normally, the various realms do not interact with one another, although there are a few holes where more than one plane exists at the same time. Also, all the realms are connected by one greater plane; we know it as the Farplane."

"What does all of this have to do with Seymour?" Rikku demanded.

"When you defeated the maester and sent him to the Farplane from inside Sin, it had a profound effect on him. His proximity to Sin left his soul open to certain kinds of power, and when you ultimately defeated it; he was able to absorb much of the energy that was released during its destruction. In essence…"

"He got what he wanted, didn't he?" Auron growled. "Seymour has become Sin."

Yunalesca shook her head. "No, he hasn't become Sin, but something akin to it. Sin's power wasn't released on just the Farplane or Spira, but on many other planes as well. Seymour took advantage of that, and used that energy to crack the boundaries between this realm and another called Earth. However, he did not have enough power to complete the breaking, and since he cannot yet take a new physical form, so he was forced to look for new ways to build his power."

"Hence the corrupted pyreflies," Ria concluded.

"Correct. The pyreflies are capable of storing vast amounts of energy, and Seymour is now using them to rebuild his power through pain, suffering, and death."

"Why Earth?" the sorceress asked, her voice full of anguish.

Yunalesca smiled sadly. "Isn't it obvious? Unlike Spira, Earth is full of people, of life, and Seymour can generate far more power there than here, and he will use the power that he has gained to completely destroy the boundaries and take control of both worlds."

"Well, why hasn't he just slipped through the crack and taken over Earth already?" Wakka asked. "If he's dead, then he could just travel like the pyreflies, ya?"

"Yes, he could," the spectral summoner replied, "But then he couldn't revive my father."

"Revive Yu Yevon? Why?" Rikku squeaked.

"Although my father surrendered his human form and mind long ago, he still retained his vast powers, and Seymour wants to merge with him to take those powers for himself. If he cannot be stopped, and he successfully merges with Yu Yevon, the resulting creature will become a scourge that will make Sin seem tame in comparison."

"How in the world are we supposed to stop him?" Bob demanded. "What, are we going to just waltz up to Seymour and tell him no?"

"You already have the means to defeat him and restore the boundaries. All you have to do is look within." She gave the Tonberry a mysterious smile.

"Lady Yunalesca, I have a question," Ria said. "Why was I able to come here to Spira, when everyone else from Earth met with failure?"

"Spira is in your blood, child," she replied.

"What do you mean 'in my blood'?"

"Sometimes, people accidentally wander into the holes that connect the realms, and end up on a plane of existence that is not their own. Your father, your real one, was one such person. Originally, he came from Spira, but he fell through one of the holes and ended up on Earth. Through him, you and your brother were able to do things that no one else on your world is capable of doing. That is why you are a mage, and why your brother could become a fayth. Otherwise, you would have been lost at sea, and Auron and Bob would have been the only ones to make it to Bikanel Island. The breaking of the boundaries was only partial, so only those with some of Spira in their blood are capable of traveling back and forth between the two worlds at the moment."

Ria thought that the whole thing was baloney, but accepted the explanation as it was the only one she had. The summoner turned to Auron and gave him a curious look. "Did you know that you are alive again?" she asked the swordsman.

"So I've been told," he replied.

"How did that happen, anyway?" Wakka wanted to know. "I thought that there was no coming back once you were sent to the Farplane."

"It's because you showed up on Earth, isn't it?" Ria whispered, her eyes closed. "You'd never died on Earth, so when you left the Farplane, you came back as a living man, is that it?"

Auron nodded, and Yunalesca said, "Guardian…you've avenged your death twice now, and have been given back your life. Can you not find it in your heart to release your hatred for me?"

The swordsman turned to the summoner and gave her a piercing stare. "Why do you care if I forgive you or not?"

"You are the last of a long line of people that I wrongly destroyed for over a thousand years," she explained. "All the others forgave me long ago, but I cannot move on until you forgive me for my final transgression."

Auron closed his eye and said. "Yunalesca…I forgive you."

The summoner sighed and evaporated into a cloud of brilliant, normal colored pyreflies. "Zaon, my love, I'm finally coming home…" her voice echoed on the wind and drifted out over the mountains.

I know this chapter was the shortest one I've written in a while, and all they did was talk, but I figured it was time for them to find out just what the hell is going on. If it came out kind of weird, it's because I'm currently functioning on three hours of sleep, so please forgive me. Well, you all know the drill: review and tune in on the next chapter.


	22. Ch 22 Clash of the Titans

I would like to thank Kyanos and Xmaster for their reviews. I hope the last chapter wasn't too confusing or boring for everyone. Well, let me stop babbling now.

Chapter 22: Clash of the Titans

After Yunalesca disappeared, the group continued their journey up Mount Gagazet in silence. They traveled past the Fayth Wall, where the now-empty statues of the people of Zanarkand still stood, and they, along with the swarms of corrupted pyreflies, made for some rather eerie scenery. Ria stared at the fayth-filled cliff with sad curiosity and quietly asked, "What could have been so bad that all these people would do this to themselves?"

"A thousand years ago, Bevelle and Zanarkand were engaged in a brutal war," Auron replied, his voice heavy with sorrow. "Zanarkand had the summoners, but Bevelle had machina to do their fighting for them, so it was only a matter of time before they won the war. Knowing that their city was lost, the people of Zanarkand came out here and became fayth, so that as long as they dreamed, the memory of their lost city would survive. Now they're all gone, though, and their dream vanished with them."

They walked up the path a little while longer and finally arrived at the entrance to the caves. Rikku stared up at the dark maw of the cave and shivered. "Zanarkand is on the other side, you know?"

"Yeah, and we don't really know what's going to be waiting for us when we get there," Wakka sighed. "Damn Seymour! What does he think he's doing?"

No one answered that, and the group entered the cave, where Bob literally bounced along as if he didn't have a care in the world. "Bob, why are you so happy?" Ria asked, watching the Tonberry's antics with some amusement.

"It feels like home to me," he told her, "All Tonberries like caves, so we are perfectly happy in one, even if we're a million miles away from home."

A little while later, Bob finally stopped his happy bouncing and froze in his tracks. "Hey, what's the matter with you?" Rikku grumbled when she tripped over the little fiend.

He didn't answer her, so the thief turned and saw what he was staring at. A huge swarm of jelly-like creatures in every color of the rainbow slithered toward the group. "It looks like…living Jell-o," Ria said gaping at the swarm with astonishment.

They all managed to get out of the way before the swarm oozed by, and Auron replied, "Those were Flans. They use a lot of magic, but they're not particularly intelligent."

"They looked like they were afraid of something, ya?" Wakka said, slightly bewildered by what he'd just witnessed, "But what could that many Flans possibly be afraid of?"

"Don't you feel it?" Bob asked, trembling and staring up the path.

"What are you talking about? Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" the blitz captain eyed the little fiend warily.

Suddenly, a deafening roar rang out through the cavern, sending several stalactites crashing to the floor in the process. "I think we're about to find out what scared all those Flans away!" Ria shouted, flattening herself against the wall.

Another roar rang out in response to the first one, and a pair of enormous fiends appeared. The first one looked like a merging of a lion, a bull, and a wolf, only on a colossal scale. It had ghostly turquoise fur, with a bristling white mane streaming down its back. The beast's long ebony horns gleamed in the twilight gloom of the cavern as it roared at its opponent. The other fiend vaguely resembled a centaur, but was dragonish in appearance. It was even larger than the first monster, and was covered in silver and royal blue armor. Its eyes blazed a fiery scarlet as its tail lashed about in fury.

"This is insane!" Rikku shrieked as the two monsters continued to bellow at one another. "Those two shouldn't be here!"

"What the hell are they?" Ria demanded.

"The one with the long horns is the King Behemoth, and the one with all the armor is Omega," Bob told her, a note of panic creeping into his voice. "They are some of the strongest fiends in Spira, but I could have sworn that both of them had already been destroyed."

"Well, they look pretty alive to me!" the sorceress retorted as the fiends charged one another.

"Seymour must have brought them back when he broke the boundaries between Earth and Spira," Auron thought aloud, his face brooding. "But whether it was intentional or by accident, I cannot say."

Omega and the King Behemoth battled with reckless abandon, and the entire mountain shook with their struggles. Both fiends attacked, using their brute strength as well as powerful magic in their attempts to gain the upper hand. Dark, viscous blood poured out of the terrible wounds the monsters inflicted on each other, and finally the two grappled like a couple of high school wrestlers.

"What should we do?" Wakka groaned in frustration.

"We could try to fight our way past them," Rikku suggested.

"What, and have the both of them after us? I don't think so," the blitzball player shook his head at her.

"Well, you think of something!" the thief yelled.

The battle ended abruptly when Omega drove one of his clawed hands into Behemoth's stomach and yanked out several yards of his guts. However, the slain fiend did not fall, but reared up on his hind legs and let out a long, booming howl. Auron went wide-eyed for a moment when he realized what was about to happen, but he quickly composed himself and shouted, "RUN!"

Ria scooped up Bob, and she, Rikku, and Wakka followed the swordsman's orders. As they ran, the King Behemoth continued to howl and his mane glowed a brilliant emerald green. Finally, the noise broke off when the fiend's body exploded and the now-released Ultima spell caught Omega full in the face. The group continued to run as fast as they could, as the leaf-colored wave of energy raged unhindered through the cavern. They barely managed to get outside when the ceiling collapsed behind them.

The mountainside shook for several more minutes, and finally subsided. When the dust settled, everyone saw that the entrance to the cave was almost completely blocked by fallen debris. Rikku nimbly clambered up the pile of rubble and peeked through the small hole that remained near the top. "It's too dark for me to see anything in there, but I don't think that we'll be going that way for a while," the thief announced, leaping off the pile with the grace of a gymnast.

"So we're stuck up here?" Wakka demanded.

"You say that like it's a bad thing, Pac-Man," Ria told the big man. "We ARE on the other side of the caves now, and we have a lot more important things to worry about besides being stuck on top of a mountain."

"You enjoy being right, don't you?" he asked, warily watching her feet.

The sorceress smiled and patted him on the cheek. "Don't worry Wakka; we all win sometimes. Hell, someday it might even be your turn, ya?"

The blitzball player gaped at her with astonishment, and she laughed and walked away. "She's…not quite right…is she?" he asked Bob.

"I don't know," the little fiend shrugged. "I don't really understand you humans anyway, so I just learned to go along with everything. Believe me; it's much safer that way."

"Tell me about it," he muttered, remembering that kick.

The five of them left the cave behind, and found themselves staring at the world from the summit of the mountain. Below them lay the vast ruins of an ancient city, where no one lived for a thousand years. Even from such a long distance, the group could see the gathering swarms of corrupted pyreflies flitting through the wreckage. Auron stared out at the ruins for a long moment, and finally said, "There it is, Ria. That is Zanarkand: the city of the dead."

Well, everyone, it's getting close to that big moment. That's right; the final battle is just around the corner. What's going to happen, you ask? Now you know I can't tell you that without giving anything away. You'll just have to read and find out. (Grins evilly) Anyway, I hope everyone liked the battle between King Behemoth and Omega Weapon. They both gave me a bit of trouble in FFX, so I decided to let them beat the hell out of each other for a change. I couldn't remember whether KB used Ultima or Meteor when he died, so I just picked one at random. Okay, everyone: review and keep on reading.


	23. Ch 23 I Am God

I would like to go ahead and thank Kiki and Insane Child for reviewing. Well, you've all been waiting patiently, so here you go.

Chapter 23: I Am God

Rivers of warped pyreflies streamed along the broken pathways of the Zanarkand Ruins, ignoring the five travelers who walked among them. The skies above the city were dark, not from clouds or nightfall, but from the pure evil that emanated from the dome in the center of the ruins. "This place is really creepy," Ria said as they followed the pyrefly swarms.

"This place still looks like the Farplane, you know?" Wakka thought aloud, "Only now it's…evil."

A cluster of corrupted pyreflies halted the group's progress, and everyone quickly drew their weapons, unsure of what to expect. "Everyone stay alert," Auron ordered as the swarm slowly approached.

The tiny lights swirled around them for a while, doing nothing but watching, and then flew away toward the source of darkness. "They were sent to see who we were," Bob quietly told everyone.

"How do you know that?" Rikku asked, watching the retreating pyreflies.

"Pyreflies carry thoughts and feelings, as well as energy," the Tonberry explained. "Fiends can sense some of what a pyrefly carries, and those had the thought 'watch' inside them."

"Seymour's watchdogs?" Auron raised an eyebrow.

Ria shook her head. "If Seymour needed watchdogs, then we would have been attacked already. I think he wants us to come, and those things just happened to be the doormen."

The swordsman smirked, shouldering his katana. "Well, he went to all the trouble of rolling out the red carpet, so let's not disappoint him."

"Yeah!" Rikku cheered. "I'm gonna kick him in the spleen!"

"Can you actually do that?" Wakka asked Ria as the thief skipped away.

"No Pac-Man, you can't, but don't spoil her dreams," the sorceress replied.

They followed the pyreflies for a while longer, and they came to the end of the path. Before them lay the great dome where Lady Yunalesca once resided, waiting for summoners to complete their pilgrimage. Now, though, she was gone, and a force much darker than she had invaded. As they stood before the dome, a man stepped out of the shadows of the entrance. He was the colorized version of the being they faced in the Macalania Woods, and he wore the same oh-so-superior smile his double sported.

"Ah, you've made it, I see," Seymour said, his expression as arrogant as ever, "I was beginning to think that you weren't going to show up, but I see I was mistaken."

"What did you do with Yunie?" Rikku all but growled.

"Yuna? I haven't done anything with her!" the maester replied, nonplussed by such an odd question, "I haven't seen her since she sent me. Wait, do you mean to tell me that you came all the way out here because you thought that I kidnapped Yuna? I have more important concerns! I don't need her, so I didn't bother looking for her! Now, are there anymore questions before I get ultimate power, or do you all want to shut up?"

"What do you think you're doing, Seymour?" Wakka demanded. "You can't become Sin anymore, because we destroyed it!"

The Guado laughed at that, a cold, cruel laugh that sent shivers down everyone's spines. "You fool! I am greater than Sin! I am God!"

"No, you're not!" Ria snarled, "You're just a stupid jackass with delusions of grandeur!"

"Oh, really?" he replied, holding out a small object in his long-fingered hand.

The object was a small, dark-colored crystal shard, and it flickered faintly from within. "This is all that remains of Yu Yevon," he told them, "I found it in the Farplane, just moments away from oblivion, and I saved it. It took a lot of energy for me to revive it, but now it contains all of the power that the great summoner once held. This, combined with my pyreflies, will allow me to transcend everything."

Seymour laid the sharp end of the shard against his chest and quickly shoved it inward. Black fluid poured out of the hole and crawled across the maester's body in all directions as he raised his arms to the sky. In response to some unheard call, all the twisted pyreflies descended upon him in a cloud of inky shadows. "Look out!" Auron shouted as a blinding flash lit up the ruins.

The shockwave that accompanied the flash knocked everyone to the ground, but they were otherwise unharmed. When the light faded, a terrible sight greeted the group. He was still shaped like Seymour, but he was entirely black, like a silhouette. The dark figure was outlined in virulent scarlet fire, and his eyes were a shimmering diamond white. _"Do you fools believe me now?"_ his voice was low, but it still seemed to echo across the ruins. _"I am the god who will bring ultimate peace to the universe. Even in death, no one will escape my power."_

"Oh, shut up!" Rikku shouted, drawing her daggers.

"You've said all this before, ya?" Wakka faked a huge yawn. "You're starting to bore me."

Seymour's eyes flickered and he raised an arm. _"I'm sure you've seen this before, too…"_

A huge anchor dropped into the floor in front of them and pulled up a large, emaciated creature. Chains bound its arms and its one green eye wept tears of blood as it roared in agony. "That's the dark aeon, Anima," Auron explained when Ria gave him a questioning look.

"Well, this just makes my day," Bob grumbled.

Seymour looked up at the towering demon and said, _"Mother…come and aid your only son one last time…"_

Anima roared again and prepared to attack the group, when a shining figure dropped from the sky like a striking falcon. Alexander interposed himself between the aeon and the group, and drew his crystal sword. "Who in Yevon is that?" Wakka asked, staring at the winged knight with awe.

"That's my brother's aeon, Alexander," Ria whispered, her eyes closed.

"Your brother? You mean…"

"Yes, my brother is a fayth."

The two aeons began their battle in a titanic clash of Light and Dark. Alexander flew about the immobile Anima, laying into the demonic creature with vicious, two-handed strikes. Anima retaliated with a burst of energy from its eye, and the knight's right wing exploded in a burst of bright blood and snowy feathers. Alexander dropped like a stone, but managed to catch hold of one of the dark aeon's chains. He clung to Anima like a burr with one hand, spread his remaining wing, and used the other arm to raise his now-blazing sword to the sky.

"Wes, NO!" Ria shrieked.

"What is he doing?" Rikku demanded, seeing the horror on her friend's face.

"He's going to sacrifice himself to get rid of Anima!" Auron replied, not taking his eyes off the battle.

Suddenly, the skies opened up, and great beams of sacred energy rained down on the two aeons, engulfing them both in brilliant light. When it faded, only Wes remained, but he looked like he was having trouble maintaining his form. _"I'm so sorry, Sis, but I can't help you anymore," _the young fayth said.

Then he exploded in a burst of normal pyreflies, and Ria screamed, "WES!"

…

Back on Earth, the survivors of Panama City had spread rumors of the Singing Statue of the Unknown Angel. People came from everywhere to see this wonder, but on one clear night, the miraculous statue's colors faded, and it crumbled into dust. Everyone stared at the remnants, and the new priest of the church sighed and led the congregation in a prayer for a soldier who finally found his rest on a distant shore.

…

_"I didn't expect an Earth woman to be a summoner…"_ Seymour said, astonished at the defeat of his aeon. _"Your people have more power than I would have given them credit for…"_

"You talk too much!" Wakka yelled, hurling his blitzball with all his strength.

The maester didn't even raise his hand, but the ball stopped just mere inches from his face. _"Pitiful…"_ he hissed before sending the weapon hurtling back toward its owner.

The errant blitzball struck Wakka in the stomach and bounced off. The breath knocked out of him, the big man doubled over, and the ball came back and smashed into his lower back before finally dropping to the ground. Wakka fell along with it, and Rikku rushed to his aid.

"Wakka, don't try to move, okay?" the thief told him.

"I've been through worse than this," he grunted, trying to get to his feet and failing. "I…I can't feel my legs, Rikku! Why can't I feel my legs?"

"You're gonna be okay. Just stop trying to move, Pac-Man!" Ria ordered.

Seymour laughed hysterically, and Rikku turned to face him. "This isn't funny, you bastard!"

The enraged Al Bhed rushed the Guado and slashed him with both daggers. However, she, too, was stopped short of her goal, and she found herself floating off the ground. "Let…me…go!" she screamed, frantically struggling to break free of her invisible bonds.

_"As you wish…"_ Seymour said, flicking a finger in a careless gesture.

Rikku sailed across the ancient roadway, smashed into the ground, and skidded several feet before coming to an abrupt stop, aided by a pile of rubble. When she did not move, Bob ran to help her. She was still alive, but only just, and a trickle of blood poured out of a gash on her forehead. "Rikku, hold on, I'll…" the Tonberry's reassurances cut off when Seymour blasted him with a burst of dark power.

_"I remember you…"_ the Guado hissed, a note of amusement in his voice. _"You were the one who defeated my reflection…I won't make the mistake of underestimating you again, little fiend…"_

Bob let out a scream of pain as another bolt of dark power lanced through him, and he dropped alongside Rikku. Seymour moved as if to finish him off, but Auron and Ria took advantage of the momentary distraction to attack. Unfortunately, he expected the assault and nimbly evaded his two would-be killers. The swordsman whipped his blade around in a backhanded swing and scored a hit on the maester, but as he watched, the wound shrank and finally vanished. _"I already told you; I am God…You cannot possibly defeat me…"_

He grabbed the guardian by the throat and lifted him off the ground. _"Now I'll send you back to the Farplane, but this time, you won't come back…"_

Suddenly, the sword-like head of the Starblade erupted from Seymour's chest, and he dropped his intended victim, grabbed the blade, and pulled it completely through his body. _"Did you REALLY think that you were going to destroy me with this puny thing?"_ he cackled as he casually broke the shaft of the weapon in half.

The Guado caught the sorceress in his cold, soulless gaze. _"You…I could use you…,"_ he said, slowly walking toward her.

"DON"T TOUCH HER!" Auron roared, renewing his assault.

The swordsman's attack might have worked, if Seymour wouldn't have blithely backhanded him across the clearing. Ria wanted to rush to her companion's aid, but she was paralyzed by that malevolent stare. _"You are from Earth, and you already know what it's like to grovel before a Power greater than your own…"_

"No, I don't. I'm not the religious type," she said between gritted teeth as she fought to escape those awful eyes.

_"You will be, I can promise you that…"_ he chuckled, coming even closer. _"Why fight me, hmm? You only know a mere handful of all the wretches you're trying to save…Reject them, Ria, and I will make you my High Priestess…I will give you everything…"_

Ria's vision clouded as Seymour showed her all sorts of wonderful things. _"Why fight me? Everyone else has left you all alone…"_ he whispered into her ear, _"But I can help you forget them…"_

That turned out to be the wrong thing to say, as all the recent memories flooded to the surface. Her last memories of her family, the night she met Auron, and the time she spent with him, Bob, Rikku, Lulu, Wakka; all the memories flowed through her, and in the depths of her soul, she heard the fierce voice that spoke to her that night in the Calm Lands…

…Flash…

"…You will never be alone. Wes came back to help you, Rikku and Bob care about you, and I love you, Ria…"

…Flash…

Those powerful, beautiful memories seared through her veins, and Ria broke free from Seymour's fascination with a scream of defiance. "I AM NOT ALONE!"

The dark Guado looked taken aback at her sudden fight for freedom, and the sorceress used his bemusement to her advantage. Sunny orange light filled her mind as she raised her arms and yelled, "Flare!"

Brilliant fire, subtly different from the elemental form, rocketed out of the ground around the maester, catching him off guard. Unfortunately, he merely brushed the flames aside and sighed, _"I tried to be kind, and this is the thanks I get…"_

His blazing eyes narrowed in anger. _"Let me show you how that spell is done, bitch…DARK FLARE!"_

Deep purple and ebony flames erupted around Ria's body, and she screamed in agony as she dropped to the ground. _"I can't fail,"_ she thought, suppressing the pain that wracked her body, _"I won't fail, do you hear me? I WILL…NOT…FAIL!"_

Yes, I know I'm a terrible person for cutting this off just as it was getting good, and I know that Seymour kicked everyone's asses pretty quickly, but trust me; what's going to happen in the next chapter is going to be great! (I hope) I also know that some of you were probably pretty disappointed that Yuna wasn't in Zanarkand, and you'll find out about that later, too. Anyway, do me a favor and review.


	24. Ch 24 Power of a Pinion

(Looks around warily) I can't stay long, because the Pun Police are after me because of this chapter's title. Anyway, let me thank Chaka and Insane Child for their reviews, and get the hell out of here. (Guys in dark blue uniforms appear) Oh great, they're already here! Well, enjoy this chapter. (Runs away with P.P. in hot pursuit)

Chapter 24: Power of a Pinion

Ria was getting desperate. Every spell she threw at Seymour had little or no effect on him, and she was running out of options. "Tornado!" she shouted as silver light flared around her.

A huge, swirling vortex of air snaked its way toward the would-be god, but he negligently flicked his hand, and the twister subsided. _"Poor dear…"_ the Guado cackled with vicious glee. _"Is that truly the best you can do?"_

His eyes flashed maliciously as he cast a new spell. _"Tetra Disaster…"_

Fire erupted from the ground around the sorceress, and then fell upon her in the form of lightning. Then a deluge of water swamped her before converting into ice and finally exploded. _"How do you like my new creation, Ria?"_ Seymour asked, as if he were showing her a painting or a sculpture.

Ria was unharmed by the spell, and she replied, "It was pretty, I suppose, but it seems like it could use a little work."

_"Oh, but it worked precisely as I intended it to…"_ He pointed at her Tetra Bangle.

The sorceress looked down at the bracelet Lulu had given her with undisguised horror as the gemstones turned black and the band crumbled to dust. "What did you do?" she demanded.

_"I overloaded your little trinket's capacity…"_ he snickered, pleased with himself. _"Your precious little toy couldn't handle all four elements at once, so it disintegrated…Now we can have some REAL fun!"_

Seymour waved his hands, and a salvo of various spells fired at Ria in rapid succession. She tried to counterattack, but it was in vain, and she was knocked to the ground. "I…can't let it end this way," she said, struggling to get to her feet. "This can't be the end."

_"Oh, but it is…"_ the maester laughed, raising one hand to the sky. _"You and your pathetic friends have failed, and I am victorious…Don't worry though; no one else can defeat me either, because I am God!"_

As he laughed, a huge ball of darkness appeared in the sky overhead. "What is that?" she demanded, finally managing to get up. "What the hell do you think you're doing now?"

_"This is the key to my ascension…"_ he told her, _"When that sphere explodes, the power within it will completely shatter the boundaries between Earth and Spira, and the thousands of people the blast will slaughter will only increase my power…You should feel privileged, Ria, because you have a front-row seat to the rise of the new God!"_

Ria tried to stay on her feet, but she was too exhausted to hold herself up any longer. She fought back the overwhelming despair with a bar minimum of success, and finally sighed, "Everyone, I'm so sorry! I wasn't strong enough to stop him."

Suddenly, a ghostly image of a man appeared and knelt down beside the sorceress. He was tall and a little lanky, with fiery red hair and merry blue eyes. The strange apparition cradled the fallen woman in his transparent arms and whispered, _"Oh, my dear child, all is not yet lost. Both worlds can still be saved, if you only have the courage to do so."_

Ria stared up at the man with wide-eyed wonder and recognition. "Dad? How is this possible?"

He gravely shook his head at her. _"There's no time to explain that now. Ria, do you still have feather you won back on Bikanel Island?"_

"Yeah, why?"

_"Take it out and I will tell you what to do."_

She reached into the little belt pouch the Al Bhed had given her and pulled out the mysterious feather. Even in the grim darkness, it shined as if it were in the noon sun. "Okay, what do you want me to do with this?" she asked, giving the ghost a sidelong glance.

_"Raise it to the sky, and sing,"_ he told her.

"What the hell am I supposed to sing, Dad? I don't think that prick up there is going to make any requests."

_"Sing the song I taught you when you were small,"_ he said as his form started to flicker. _"I'm sorry, dear, but I can't stay here any longer. Just sing the Hymn and everything will be all right."_

Her father vanished, and Ria slowly clambered to her feet. She raised the shining feather above her head and whispered, "Dad, I hope you're right."

Seymour watched the whole event with great amusement. _"You poor little fool…Do you really think that a dusty old feather and a song are going to save you?"_

The sorceress ignored him and began to sing the Hymn of the Fayth as loudly as she could. She didn't know the words, so she vocalized, and although her alto voice wasn't one to make angels cry, it was clear and strong, and it soared to the sky. Finally, the final note reverberated into the distance, and the peculiar feather exploded in a cloud of fire.

"What is this?" the Guado shrieked as the flames expanded and shifted.

Finally, the wave of fire settled and solidified into the form of a giant bird. Its body and wings were the same sunset orange as the feather, while its crest and tail shined in every color of the rainbow. The great bird lowered its golden head to Ria and opened its eyes. They were as blue and deep as the sea, and when the sorceress gazed into them, time slowed, then stopped.

"Who…who are you?" she asked, held in awe by that gaze.

"I AM PHOENIX," it replied in a sexless voice that filled her mind and soul. "YOU CALLED ME AND I ANSWERED, AS WAS PROMISED ALL THOSE CENTURIES AGO."

"Promise?" Ria was confused. "I'm sorry, but I don't know anything about a promise."

"LONG AGO, MY KINDRED AND I ROAMED SPIRA AS GUARDIANS OF THE PEOPLE. FOR MANY REASONS, WE HAD TO LEAVE SPIRA BEHIND, ONLY RETURNING WHEN THE SONG OF CALLING WAS SUNG. I LEFT MY FEATHER BEHIND WITH THE PROMISE TO AID THE ONE WHO HELD IT AND SANG THE SONG. YOU ARE THAT ONE."

"Can you stop Seymour and make everything right again?" she asked, hope shining in her eyes.

Phoenix nodded and said, "I CAN, BUT THE PRICE I REQUIRE IS GREAT."

"Please tell me!" she begged. "Seymour's hurt thousands of people, and if he isn't stopped, then he will hurt everyone. Name your price, please!"

The great bird stared at the sorceress' tears with fascination. "YOU HAVE SUCH A PASSIONATE SOUL. VERY WELL, THE PRICE REQUIRED FOR MY AID IS YOUR LIFE."

Ria gasped at that startling pronouncement. "Are you…what they call the Final Aeon?"

"THAT IS YEVON'S PERVERSION OF THE TRUE SUMMONING, BUT YES, THAT IS AS GOOD A DESCRIPTION OF ME AS ANY. FOR ME TO GIVE LIFE, I MUST TAKE LIFE AWAY, AND FOR THE LOST TO BE RESTORED, SOMETHING ELSE MUST BE LOST IN ITS PLACE. HOWEVER, I WILL NOT TAKE THAT WHICH IS NOT FREELY GIVEN, SO WHAT SAY YOU CHILD. WILL YOU SACRIFICE YOURSELF, EVEN IF IT MEANS LEAVING THE ONES YOU LOVE BEHIND?"

"I will."

"AND WOULD YOU STILL DO THIS, EVEN IF NO ONE WOULD EVER KNOW YOUR NAME, OR CARE ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE FOR THEM?"

"Yes."

"THEN OPEN YOUR SOUL TO ME, AND SHARE IN THE POWER THAT IS THE REBIRTH FLAME…"

Time restarted, and Ria's head and shoulders fell back as opal flames erupted from the ground around her. Phoenix spread its wings and lifted its unearthly voice in a song of heartbreaking beauty that made the mountains ring like a bell and filled up the sky. Auron, Rikku, Wakka, and Bob bemusedly climbed to their feet, completely healed, and unmarked by the prismatic flames that flowed around them. They stared up at Phoenix with reverent awe, as the giant bird continued to sing, and Seymour let out a cry of rage as his ball of darkness dwindled away to nothing.

_"NO! This cannot be…I am God…"_ he shrieked as the bright flames reached him.

The aeon looked at him, its blue eyes filled with pity. "NO, YOU ARE NOT."

The Guado let out a long, despairing cry as his body exploded into a countless number of pyreflies. The lights swirled into the sky like a reversed rainfall, and their colors changed to match the opalescent fire that filled the ruins as they rocketed away to all the corners of Spira. The brilliant flames pulsed, and the group stood in the heart of the rainbow. "Look at that!" Rikku shouted, staring past Wakka's shoulder.

They turned around and saw Ria, a shining white beacon amidst the vibrant conflagration. Before any of them could try to aid her, the light flared and all went dark.

They awoke to find themselves at the foot of Mount Gagazet, and Phoenix hovered above them. The great bird fanned its shimmering wings, and said, "IT IS DONE. THE BOUNDARY IS RESTORED, AND THE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SPARED. NOW I AM FREE."

"Wait, where is Ria?" Bob asked when the aeon started to fly away.

Phoenix ignored him, and launched itself into the glowing sky, where it vanished into the sun. The Tonberry King, Rikku, and Wakka stared after it for a moment, until Auron's anguished cry rang out from behind them. "Auron, what's wrong?" Wakka asked, turning around, but seeing no enemy.

The three of them ran over to where the swordsman was kneeling, and found Ria lying motionless in the snow. She was uninjured, but her face was pallid and her eyes were closed. "Is she breathing?" Rikku asked, her voice fearful.

"Barely," Auron snapped, not looking at the thief. "Ria, why won't you wake up?"

Okay, that's it for this chapter. Yes, I finally managed to escape the Pun Police, and I know that I'm leaving you hanging by stopping where I did, but you'll be all right. Well, I'm looking forward to your reviews, and I'll see you all next time.


	25. Ch 25 The Road Not Taken

I want to go ahead and thank Kyanos, Chaka, Insane Child, and Kiki for their reviews. Okay everyone this is it: the last chapter. I won't keep you waiting, so enjoy.

Chapter 25: The Road Not Taken

It had been a week since Phoenix lit up the skies of Spira, and saved everyone from a terrible fate at the hands of Seymour Guado. The one who called the aeon spent that week hovering close to death. Ria had not moved since her friends carried her to the Ronso settlement, and the only sign that showed that she still lived was the painfully slow rise and fall of her chest. "Why won't she wake up?" Rikku asked the elderly Ronso healer, tears slowly sliding down her cheeks.

Kurgra Ronso gravely shook her head. "Her body lives, but her soul is gone. She may live for a long time or maybe not, but she won't wake again."

"There's got to be something you can do, ya?" Wakka cried as he tried to comfort Bob, who was sobbing just as he had when King Ralph died.

"No summoner has ever survived the Final Summoning. We all heard when Phoenix spoke to Ria. It demanded her life in exchange for its aid."

"But…" Bob sniffled, "But, Ria isn't a summoner! Anyone could have used that feather, so it shouldn't count! It's not fair!"

Kurgra bowed her head. "No, it is not, but I can only heal the body. I cannot bring a soul back from the Farplane."

Auron listened to all of this with a seemingly neutral expression, but the light in his eye betrayed his anger. Without a word, he turned on his heel and strode out of the building and the settlement with long, purposeful steps. When the village was out of sight, the swordsman finally gave vent to his rage. "YOU SORRY SON OF A BITCH!" he bellowed at the uncaring sky. "She shouldn't have to die for this! She's been through enough hardship as it is and now death is her reward? DAMN YOU!"

As he railed, two faintly transparent figures approached. One was a tall, kind-looking man in voluminous red robes, and the other was a dark haired, scarred man in black shorts and a metal armguard. _"Auron, it can't hear you, you know,"_ the scarred man told him. _"After Phoenix completed its task, it returned to its resting place."_

Auron stared at the spirits of his two best friends in disbelief. "It isn't right," he whispered brokenly, eye shut against the pain in his heart. "She doesn't deserve to die! Just as you didn't Braska, or you, Jecht. None of this is right!"

Braska placed a ghostly hand on the guardian's shoulder. _"I know. It isn't right and it isn't fair, but Ria had a decision to make, and no one else could make it for her. If you could go back to the night you first met her, and you knew everything you know now, would you have stayed in the Farplane and watched her die?"_

"No."

_"So you still would have helped her, even though you knew that she was going to die anyway? Would you have let yourself fall in love with her?"_

"No."

_"Why?"_

It was the universe's simplest question, but the possible answers were endless. Auron struggled with it for what seemed like an eternity, and finally he replied, "I don't want to lose anyone else…and…"

_"And?"_ Jecht prompted, impatiently tapping his foot.

"And I don't want anyone else to die because I failed them. In the beginning, I promised Ria that I would be her guardian, but I failed when she needed me the most."

Braska laughed and said, _"No, you didn't Auron. No one expected you to love her. Befriend her, yes, but not love her. It was what you told her in the Calm Lands that ultimately led Ria to her choice, do you remember?"_

The swordsman's eye filled with pain as he remembered what he told her that night at the Al Bhed station. "…You will never be alone…" he said aloud.

The High Summoner nodded at him. _"Those five words saved her from Seymour's attempts to control her. If you hadn't said them, then none of us would be standing here now."_

_"Yeah, we'd all be that freak's slaves, and I don't do slavery very well,"_ Jecht agreed. _"I hate to do this to you, my man, but we can't stay here anymore. Go back and see the little heroine; she deserves at least that much from you."_

Auron stared at the apparitions as they walked away, fading with each step. _"Didn't I tell you, Braska? Auron always was a sucker for the tall ones…"_

Jecht's last words faded on the wind, and the guardian returned to the settlement. He ignored Rikku, Wakka, and Bob, and sat down on a chair in the corner. "I'll wait," he told them, his gaze glued to the bed, "I promised her that she would never be alone, and I'm a man of my word."

Kurgra watched all of this with sad amusement, and turned to the others, flapping her hands in a shooing manner. "Only one may stay, and he chose himself. The rest of you must wait outside."

…Flash…

Ria stood alone in the middle of a vast forest. The only path she could see was the one that lay before her, so she followed it, calling out to her friends as she went. "Where is everybody?" she wondered aloud.

Suddenly, she came to a fork in the path, and a glowing white figure stood in the middle of it. _"Welcome, Ria,"_ the being greeted her in a heartbreakingly beautiful voice.

The sorceress stared at it, open-mouthed, for one long moment, and then asked, "Who are you, and where am I?"

_"I am the Gatekeeper, and as for where you are, you are in the boundary between life and death."_

"You mean…I'm dead?"

_"No, but you are very close…You willingly sacrificed yourself to Phoenix to save everyone, and now you are to be rewarded for such a selfless act of courage."_

"Death is a reward?" Ria asked, raising an eyebrow.

The Gatekeeper laughed at that. _"For some, Death is the greatest gift they can receive, but no, that is not your reward. Your reward is a choice."_

"What kind of choice? What am I choosing? Do I get to go back to Earth?"

_"When Phoenix restored the broken boundaries between Earth and Spira, it also repaired all the holes that previously existed, so you cannot go back to your world. The path on your left leads to the Afterlife, and if you choose that path, you will be with your family again."_

Ria craned her neck and peered down that path. It looked like many people had traveled down that road many times, and it was worn, but well cared-for. She looked at the path on her right, and it was lovely, too, but it seemed like it would be a harder trail to follow. "Where does that path lead?" she wanted to know.

_"That one is your second choice,"_ it told her. _"If you take that path, then you will return to Spira, but I must warn you: the journey ahead will be hard, and your closeness to Death will forever change you. Once you have made your decision, there will be no turning back, do you understand?"_

Ria nodded and closed her eyes, listening to the silence in the depths of her soul. She waited for several tense moments, finally took one step forward, and said, "I choose…"

…Flash…

It had been another day, and still there was no change in Ria's condition. Auron continued to watch, feeling in his heart that something was going to happen, but what it was, he could not say. Suddenly, the sorceress' body started to glow. The light grew brighter and brighter until it was as if a small, blue-white sun had come to rest in that room. A great wind followed the light, and finally both pulsed once, then died, leaving the room in darkness once again.

"Ria?" Auron hurried over to the bed, the only thing in the room undisturbed by the strange occurrence.

The young woman's eyes opened. Once, they were leaf-green, but the ones that gazed at him now were shining silver. She blinked at him and whispered, "I choose life."

Wakka rushed into the room, shouting, "What happened…" His voice trailed off when he saw Ria sit upright in the bed.

Rikku and Bob came in right behind him, shoving him out of the way, and stopped dead in their tracks. "RIA!" the Tonberry King happily shrieked, flinging himself at the sorceress.

"Bob, you're crushing my ribcage," she croaked as the little fiend sobbed incoherently into her shirt.

"How is this possible?" Rikku asked, her eyes shining with wonder. "It's a miracle!"

"Praise be to…" Wakka started to say, until a dirty look from the Al Bhed stopped him.

"If I hear you say 'Praise be to Yevon', I swear I'll take a leaf out of Ria's book and kick you in the nuts!" the thief threatened.

The big man flinched, and said, "I don't know who to thank, but thank you, ya?"

Auron stared at Ria in complete shock. "You came back…why?"

She grinned at him. "You aren't getting out of your duties that easily, my dear guardian."

…

Another surprise happened on Mount Gagazet that day, when a couple of weary and extremely bedraggled chocobos showed up in the village and started squawking as loudly as their tired voices would go. "What in Spira are those?" Wakka asked when everyone went outside to see what the fuss was about.

Whatever had brought Ria back to life was also helping to speed up her recovery, but she still leaned on Auron for support when she finally showed up at the doorway. The lighter colored chocobo ran over to where the sorceress and the swordsman were and joyfully chirped, "WAAARRKK!"

"No way!" Bob gasped when the darker chocobo started nuzzling him.

"What is it? Bob, do you know where these chocobos came from?" Rikku asked.

"It's Snow and Shadow! I thought that we had lost them when the sea monster blew up the ship we were on!"

Everyone helped clean the dirty birds' feathers, and sure enough, one was inky black and the other was diamond white. "How did they make it all the way up here?" Ria wondered as the chocobos dug into the food they were offered.

"These two seem to be different from your average chocobos," Auron observed.

Snow suddenly stopped eating and looked up at them. Cocking her head to one side, she trilled, "Wark?"

Bob gave Ria and Auron a wicked look, turned to the curious birds, and proudly announced, "Yes, those two are mated now."

"WHAT?" they both shrieked, as the little fiend quickly backed out of reach.

"Hey, they've known about how you feel about each other, too," he quickly explained. "Chocobos are a lot smarter than anyone gives them credit for."

Shadow let out a self-congratulatory chirp, reached over and preened Snow's neck feathers, and the two birds went back to their dinner.

…

It was late in the evening, and everyone, except Ria and Auron, had gone to bed. "You said that the boundary was restored, and that you can't go back to Earth, right?" the guardian asked as they sat outside in the moonlight.

"Yes," she replied, not looking at him.

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"I honestly don't know. Rikku invited me to go with her on some kind of expeditions, but I have a feeling that I'm not supposed to be involved in that. What about you?"

He shrugged. "Spira doesn't really need someone like me anymore. Not as a guardian, anyway, so I've decided to go on a new journey."

"And just how long, exactly, is this 'journey' going to take?" she demanded, eyeing him suspiciously.

"I don't know, but I'd rather have someone that I could trust come with me." He grinned at her, and asked, "Do you think that Wakka would be willing to go?"

Ria gaped at him in astonishment. "Auron, was that a JOKE?"

"You already know that I have absolutely no sense of humor," he replied, still grinning. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Would you like to go on this journey with me, and keep a senile old man company?"

She looked him directly in the eye and said, "No."

"What do you mean, 'no'?"

"I'm not going anywhere with a senile old man…"

He gave her a stricken look, and she grinned at him. "I'm going with the one I love."

…

Rikku read the letter Ria had written in careful Al Bhed. It read:

Rikku,

I'm writing this to you because I'm not entirely sure that Bob can read, and Pac-Man would just make it five times as long by adding 'ya?' at the end of every sentence. Anyway, I greatly appreciate the offer you made me back in the cave on the mountain, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline it. Auron and I are going on another journey, and I'm not sure when we'll be back. That's okay, though, because I have the feeling that your own journey is just beginning, and that you're going to do something great for Spira. I hope you find your cousin, Yuna, and I hope that she is well. Tell Bob that I think that he's going to be the best Tonberry King and to give Marlene my best regards. Tell Pac-Man that he needs to watch his mouth, and that I hope he has a good life with Lulu…

"How did she know about that?" Wakka hissed as Rikku read the letter aloud

"Shut up! I'm getting to that part!" the thief snapped, before continuing to read.

No, I haven't learned to read minds, but you might want to tell Pac-Man that he talks in his sleep. I'm starting to write a novel here, so I'd better stop soon. Give my thanks to Lulu and the others, and thanks for everything in general. You're all true friends.

Best wishes,

Ria

P.S. I had to translate this using the Book of Al Bhed that Bakkuri gave to me, so I hope this came out okay.

"It came out just fine, Ria," Rikku said to softly to herself, as a huge red airship roared into view.

The strange vehicle stopped, and a man and woman got out. The man was Rikku's brother, Brother, but the woman was someone the thief had never seen before. She was tall, with gray hair that looked wild on someone so young, and blood red eyes. She was dressed in red and black leather and carried a black broadsword with a skull motif.

"Rikku, this is Paine," Brother introduced in his heavily accented English. "Paine, this is my sister, Rikku."

The two girls exchanged greetings, and the thief turned to her sibling and said, "What's this all about?"

"The Celsius is finished, so I have started up the Gullwings!" he told her, quite proud of himself.

"The who?"

"My sphere-hunting group! We are going to go all over Spira and look for spheres, but since I am a good brother, I thought that I would ask you to join us first."

"Uh, before you do all that," Wakka said, interrupting the conversation, "Do you think that you could give me a lift back to Besaid?"

Paine shrugged, and Brother scratched his head thoughtfully, saying, "Besaid is where Yuna lives, no?"

Rikku nodded and replied, "Yeah, maybe she's gone back there now. She wasn't in Zanarkand, so Besaid's as likely a place as any to look for her."

"Well you can count me out!" Bob told the group. "I went through torture on that last ride in an airship, so I think I'll just walk back home, if it's all the same to you. Besides, it isn't that far, and the Ronso Elder was nice enough to give me an escort for my trip."

The Tonberry King hugged the thief, and started to leave, along with a couple of burly Ronso youths, but she stopped him. "Wait, who's the new leader?" she called.

He turned around and pointed at Kimahri. "Kimahri, YOU"RE the leader now? Why didn't you tell us before?" Rikku's tone was accusing.

The Ronso shrugged his shaggy shoulders and replied, "It was not important at the time. Leader or not, Kimahri is still Kimahri."

He walked up to her, pressed an old sphere into her hand, and said, "This sphere was found in the floating ruins at the summit of the mountain. If you see Yuna, then give it to her. Tell her it's about the boy."

…

A couple of weeks later, Brother and Paine were on Besaid Island, watching Wakka and Lulu's wedding party with varying degrees of amusement. Meanwhile, Rikku was talking to a girl whose eyes were two different colors. "Yunie, where did you go?" the thief asked her cousin. "We were all so worried that you had tried to go to Zanarkand!"

Yuna smiled, "I'm touched, really. I just needed some time to think…about certain things. I'm okay now, though."

Suddenly Rikku remembered the sphere Kimahri had given her, and she dug into her belt pouch and pulled it out. "Here," she said, handing it to the new High Summoner, "Kimahri said that they found it in some old ruins on Gagazet, and that it might be important to you."

Yuna turned on the sphere and nearly dropped it in surprise. "I don't believe it! It looks just like him!"

"The image isn't very good, but it DOES look like him, doesn't it?" the thief grinned. "You know, the Gullwings have an opening for a new member, and I think you would fill that position quite nicely."

Yuna nodded in agreement, and she ran away from Besaid that night to join her cousins in their sphere-hunting adventures.

…

Far away, on a mountaintop east of Zanarkand, a pair of chocobos waited impatiently for their riders to finish what they were doing. Ria placed one last stone on the top of the small pyramid she had built, and stood up. "There, it's finished," she said, dusting herself off.

Auron stared at the little sculpture and said, "It's nice, but you never did tell me what it's for."

She mounted Snow and replied, "It's just my way of honoring the memories of everyone on Earth AND Spira who've suffered because of everything that Seymour did."

The swordsman climbed onto Shadow's back, and watched the eastern sky turn a pale rose. "Ria, do you…have any regrets?"

"I regret a lot of things, Auron, but none of them have anything to do with being with you. I'll miss everyone, and nothing will change that, but this is OUR journey, and we'll face it together."

With that, the two of them spurred on their chocobos and rode off into the dawning of a new day. Their knew that their journey would be full of hardship, as well as joy, and that they would most likely have more than their fair share of fights, but most importantly, they knew that they were not alone any more.

I hope everyone really enjoyed Broken Boundaries, and I hope everyone liked how I linked FFX to X-2. I want to thank Square Enix for making such kick-ass games, the Powers Above for inspiring me, the real Marlene for all of her great advice, and most of all: thank YOU, the fans. Seriously, this story would have gone nowhere if you hadn't been there to appreciate it. I thank you all from the bottom of my little black heart.


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